Photo: Dan Breyfogle · CC BY-SA 3.0Boone has 301 acres of parks, 24 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.5 miles of mapped trail cross Boone, 0.5 per square mile of land. 5% of Boone’s land is conserved, about 277 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #48 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Boone?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Boone have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Boone is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #48 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is McHose Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Memorial Park
All 9 parks & preserves
277 conserved acres
5% of Boone’s land. Who manages Boone’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mchose Park Local Park | Town or city | 209 | Open |
| Herman Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Little League Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Lowell Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Erbe Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Cummings Playground Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Franklin Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Anderson Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Miles-Lee Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
2 places to go in Boone
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
September is the best month for walking in Boone
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 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Boone →
Questions about parks and trails in Boone
Where can I hike in Boone?
The longest trail networks: McHose Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Boone is conserved land?
5% 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 Boone’s trails?
McHose Park and Herman Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Boone?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Boone?
10,262 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Boone or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 301 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Boone have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #48 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 Boone neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →