Ames has 36 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: McDonald Woods (3.7 mi), Brookside Park (1.2 mi), Moore Memorial Park (1.1 mi). 7% of Ames’ land is conserved, about 1,196 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #17 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,196 acres · of 28.2 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,352 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
85 mi
7.7 mi lanes · 75 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ames?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ames is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #17 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ames’ overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
75 mi
off-road bike paths
2.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Soccer
34Basketball
34Tennis
26Baseball
18Beach volleyball
10Softball
7Tracks
4Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
22 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 41 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
9.4
10.5
11.8
13.3
14.5
15.2
14.9
13.9
12.4
11.0
9.7
9.1
High (°F)
28
33
47
61
72
81
84
82
76
63
47
34
Rain (in)
0.9
1.1
2.0
3.9
5.1
5.4
4.3
4.4
3.6
2.6
1.8
1.3
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ames →
Next door
Ames and its neighbors
Ames has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ames
Where can I hike in Ames?
The longest trail networks: McDonald Woods, 3.7 miles; Brookside Park, 1.2 miles; Moore Memorial Park, 1.1 miles; Munn Woods, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ames is conserved land?
7% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Iowa town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ames’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Brookside Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ames?
85 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.7 of painted or protected lanes, 75 of off-road paths and 2.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ames?
5,856 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ames or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,486 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ames have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 of 140 in Iowa. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ames neighbors.
Photo: Dirk DBQ · CC BY 2.0