Cinder Path Bike Trail
Park
11 acres0.5 mi of trail
Exercise Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jason McLaren · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Chariton
8% of Chariton’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Cinder Path Bike Trail (0.5 mi). 137 acres are parks and preserves, 32 per 1,000 residents. 8% of Chariton’s land is conserved, about 185 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #49 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
185 acres · of 3.8 sq mi of land
Trails
0.7 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
137 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Chariton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chariton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chariton is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #49 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chariton’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (137 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · IA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 65%
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.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cinder Path Bike Trail, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Highway 34 Wetlands
Nature preserve
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pin Oak Marsh
Nature preserve
32 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Cinder Path Bike Trail11 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthwest Park61 acres
DirectionsHighway 34 Wetlands39 acres
Pin Oak Marsh32 acres
North Park8 acres
Brook Park6 acres
Yocom Park4 acres
North Ridge Park3 acres
Kuiper Wetlands2 acres
Eikenberry Park2 acres
Practice Fields2 acres
Franklin Park1 acres
Railroad Park1 acres
Johnson's Machine Works Park1 acres
Who protects it
185 conserved acres
8% of Chariton’s land. Who manages Chariton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County81 ac
Town or city81 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)63 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Local Park · 91 acLocal Conservation Area · 70 acConservation Easement · 63 acState Resource Management Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 22 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savage Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Highway 34 Wetlands Local Conservation Area | County | 39 | Open |
| Pin Oak Marsh Local Conservation Area | County | 29 | Open |
| Cinder Path Bike Trail Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Bingham Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Brook Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Yocom Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Elkenberry Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Kuiper Wetlands Local Conservation Area | County | 2 | Open |
| North Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Chariton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Chariton
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in Chariton
Chariton Disc Golf CourseIn Northwest Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 mi
Exercise Trail0.5 mi
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
5Tennis
4Soccer
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
O. E. Payne HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itLucas County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1981
About itA. J. Stephens HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itFirst United Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 2002
About itChicago, Burlington, and Quincy Freight House-CharitonBuilding · listed 2003
About itChariton Free Public LibraryBuilding · listed 2005
About itCaviness, Carl L., Post 102, American LegionBuilding · listed 2006
About itChariton City Hall and Fire StationBuilding · listed 2006
About itChariton Herald-Patriot BuildingBuilding · listed 2006
About itChariton Masonic TempleBuilding · listed 2006
About itHotel CharitoneBuilding · listed 2006
About itChariton Cemetery Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Chariton
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 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 37 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Chariton →
Questions about parks and trails in Chariton
Where can I hike in Chariton?
The longest trail networks: Cinder Path Bike Trail, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chariton is conserved land?
8% 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 Chariton’s trails?
Cinder Path Bike Trail and Northwest Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chariton?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chariton?
12,301 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chariton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 138 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Chariton have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 Chariton neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →