Outlet Recreation Complex
Park
39 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Clear Lake
26% of Clear Lake’s land is conserved: 1,780 acres
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Outlet Recreation Complex (0.7 mi). 192 acres are parks and preserves, 25 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #23 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
1,780 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
2.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
192 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 1.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Clear Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clear Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clear Lake is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #23 of 140 in Iowa. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Clear Lake’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (192 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 84%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 84%
Water is 19% of Clear Lake’s area (3 of 13 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
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 Outlet Recreation Complex, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,623 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Clear Lake Rearing Ponds Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
37 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Iowa Trolley Park
Park
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Outlet Recreation Complex39 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsClear Lake Wildlife Management Area1,623 acres
DirectionsClear Lake Rearing Ponds Wildlife Management Area37 acres
Iowa Trolley Park18 acres
Clear Lake Municipal Tennis Courts12 acres
DirectionsTrolley Trail8 acres
Pine Tree Park5 acres
Molly McGowan Park4 acres
Tourist Park3 acres
DirectionsWinter Garden2 acres
Armour Pugh Memorial Park2 acres
City Park2 acres
DirectionsFieldstone Park1 acres
Marion Park1 acres
D A R Park1 acres
Country Club Hights Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,780 conserved acres
26% of Clear Lake’s land. Water is left out: Clear Lake has 10.8 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clear Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,666 ac
Town or city101 ac
County11 ac
State Other or Unknown · 1,621 acLocal Park · 72 acState Conservation Area · 41 acLocal Recreation Area · 40 acState Recreation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Lake State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 1,615 | Open |
| Clear Lake Rearing Ponds Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 41 | Open |
| Outlet Recreation Complex & Dog Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Lions Field Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Trolley Trail Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
| Clear Lake Access State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
| Pine Tree Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife Station State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
| Mcgowan Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Central Gardens Of North Iowa Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Clear Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clear Lake
City Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Clear Lake
City Beach Park
DirectionsFieldstone Park PlaygroundIn Fieldstone Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Clear Lake
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Clear Lake
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Clear Lake
Central Gardens of North Iowa
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
7Tennis
6Pickleball
2Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Clear Lake
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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 42 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 60 | 43 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Clear Lake →
Questions about parks and trails in Clear Lake
Where can I hike in Clear Lake?
The longest trail networks: Outlet Recreation Complex, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clear Lake is conserved land?
26% 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 Clear Lake’s trails?
Outlet Recreation Complex and Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Clear Lake?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes and 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Clear Lake?
9,055 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clear Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,824 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Clear Lake have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #23 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 Clear Lake 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 →