Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Burlington has 13 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
10% of Burlington’s land is conserved, about 888 acres. The biggest trail networks: Crapo Park (1.8 mi), Dankwardt Memorial Park (1.4 mi). 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #43 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Burlington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burlington is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #43 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Water is 5% of Burlington’s area (1 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Crapo Park, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dankwardt Memorial Park
Perkins Park
All 12 parks & preserves
888 conserved acres
10% of Burlington’s land. Water is left out: Burlington has 14.4 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Burlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 14 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 636 | Open |
| Crapo Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Dankwardt Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Burlington Regional Recreation Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Perkins Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Vfw Picnic Park Local Park | Private owners | 15 | Open |
| Riverwalk Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Cottonwood Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
| Burlington Memorial Auditorium Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| South Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
7 places to go in Burlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
6.6 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.
29 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
17 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Burlington: April, August and September
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Burlington →
Burlington and its neighbors
Burlington has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 10% | 0.9 | 12 | 83% | A− |
| West Burlington | 1% | 0.1 | 12 | 75% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burlington
Where can I hike in Burlington?
The longest trail networks: Crapo Park, 1.8 miles; Dankwardt Memorial Park, 1.4 miles; Perkins Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burlington is conserved land?
10% 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 Burlington’s trails?
Crapo Park and Dankwardt Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burlington?
6.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Burlington?
13,361 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 909 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #43 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 Burlington 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 →