Cedar Falls has 1,376 acres of parks, 34 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Big Woods (1.7 mi), West George Wyth (1.4 mi), Prairie Lakes Park (0.6 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Cedar Falls’ land is conserved, about 770 acres.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #53 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
770 acres · of 29.5 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,376 ac
34 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
50 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 49 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Cedar Falls?
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, Cedar Falls is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #53 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cedar Falls’ overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
49 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
22Basketball
16Tennis
15Baseball
13Pickleball
10Soccer
10Beach volleyball
9Football
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
September is the best month for walking in Cedar Falls
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
14.6
15.3
15.0
13.9
12.4
11.0
9.7
9.1
High (°F)
26
31
45
60
71
80
83
81
75
62
45
32
Rain (in)
1.1
1.1
1.9
3.9
4.8
5.8
4.3
4.1
3.6
2.8
2.0
1.4
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cedar Falls →
Next door
Cedar Falls and its neighbors
Cedar Falls has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 Cedar Falls
Where can I hike in Cedar Falls?
The longest trail networks: Big Woods, 1.7 miles; West George Wyth, 1.4 miles; Prairie Lakes Park, 0.6 miles; Eldorado Heights Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cedar Falls is conserved land?
4% 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 Cedar Falls’ trails?
Big Woods and West George Wyth don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cedar Falls?
50 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 49 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Cedar Falls?
9,622 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cedar Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,376 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cedar Falls have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #53 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 Cedar Falls neighbors.
Photo: RifeIdeas · CC BY-SA 3.0