Fairmount Park
Park
104 acres1.6 mi of trail
Fairmount Hiking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Council Bluffs
11% of Council Bluffs’ land is conserved: 2,979 acres
2,734 acres are parks and preserves, 44 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Fairmount Park (1.6 mi), Lake Manawa State Park (1 mi), Charles E. Lankin Park (0.9 mi). 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #37 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,979 acres · of 43.0 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,734 ac
44 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
67 mi
7.6 mi lanes · 59 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 13 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Council Bluffs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Council Bluffs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Council Bluffs is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #37 of 140 in Iowa. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Council Bluffs’ overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land44 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,734 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · IA 91% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 78%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 74%
Water is 6% of Council Bluffs’ area (3 of 46 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Fairmount Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Manawa State Park
Park
782 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Charles E. Lankin Park
Park
14 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park
Managed by City of Council Bluffs
39 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 41 parks & preserves
Fairmount Park104 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLake Manawa State Park782 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsCharles E. Lankin Park14 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Park149 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTom Hanafan River's Edge Park39 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Council Bluffs
DirectionsBahnsen Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Shore Park53 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKirn Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bayliss Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsProspect Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Broadway Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Discovery Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Broadway Fountain1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Valley OHV Park366 acres
DirectionsGibson Bend150 acres
Big Lake Park44 acres
DirectionsNarrows River Park43 acres
DirectionsGifford State Forest36 acres
Longs Landing County Park32 acres
Valley View Park21 acres
DirectionsBlackbird Marsh County Preserve17 acres
Vincent Bluff Preserve13 acres
DirectionsCogleywood Forest Reservation10 acres
ISD Entrance Park10 acres
DirectionsRoberts Park9 acres
Westwood Park9 acres
DirectionsSternhill Park9 acres
DirectionsSunset Park8 acres
DirectionsTwin City Park8 acres
DirectionsIowa West Foundation Trailhead Park7 acres
DirectionsGraham Park6 acres
Malmore Park4 acres
Cook Park4 acres
Peterson Park3 acres
Cochran Park3 acres
Lincoln Memorial Park3 acres
Rails West Train Park2 acres
Trolley Park2 acres
DirectionsGolden Spike Park2 acres
Kimball Park2 acres
DirectionsDodge Fountain Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,979 conserved acres
11% of Council Bluffs’ land. Water is left out: Council Bluffs has 43.0 square miles of land and 2.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Council Bluffs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,832 ac
Town or city1,123 ac
County89 ac
State fish & wildlife2 ac
State Park · 1,567 acLocal Park · 627 acState Other or Unknown · 394 acState Recreation Area · 221 acState Conservation Area · 192 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Manawa State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,567 | Open |
| River Valley OHV Area State Other or Unknown | Town or city | 394 | Open |
| Council Bluffs Riverfront State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 221 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 193 | Open |
| Gibson Bend State Conservation Area | Town or city | 152 | Open |
| Cb Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 96 | Open |
| Fairmount Park Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Gifford State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 43 | Open |
| Big Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Narrows River Park Local Park | County | 41 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
100 places to go in Council Bluffs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Council Bluffs
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Council Bluffs
Dreamland ParkIn Lake Manawa State Park
DirectionsPelican playgroundIn Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park
Directions57 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Council Bluffs
13 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Council Bluffs
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Council Bluffs
23 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Council Bluffs
Saint Pauls Lutheran Church GardenSaint Pauls Lutheran Church
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.3 miUnpaved · 5.2 mi
Fairmount Hiking Trail1.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
67 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
59 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
54Soccer
39Baseball
26Tennis
16Football
9Basketball
6Volleyball
6Pickleball
5Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →35 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
August Beresheim HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itO. P. Wickham HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itY.M.C.A. BuildingBuilding · listed 1979
About itLysander Tulleys HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itThomas Jefferis HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itDodge, Ruth Anne, MemorialObject · listed 1980
About itReverend Little's Young Ladies SeminaryBuilding · listed 1982
About itState Savings BankBuilding · listed 1984
About itMartin Hughes HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itThomas E. Cavin HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About it23 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Council Bluffs
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 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 84 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Council Bluffs →
Next door
Council Bluffs and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | 11% | 0.3 | 44 | 84% | A− |
| Carter Lake | 6% | 2.7 | 23 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Council Bluffs
Where can I hike in Council Bluffs?
The longest trail networks: Fairmount Park, 1.6 miles; Lake Manawa State Park, 1 miles; Charles E. Lankin Park, 0.9 miles; Riverside Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Council Bluffs is conserved land?
11% 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 Council Bluffs’ trails?
Fairmount Park and Lake Manawa State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Council Bluffs?
67 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.6 of painted or protected lanes and 59 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Council Bluffs?
18,534 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Council Bluffs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,169 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Council Bluffs have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 Council Bluffs 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 →