Dunnings Spring Park
Park
52 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dunning Spring
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Decorah
Decorah has 497 acres of parks, 66 for every 1,000 residents
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11% of Decorah’s land is conserved, about 495 acres. The biggest trail networks: Dunnings Spring Park (0.7 mi), Phelps Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #6 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
495 acres · of 7.2 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
497 ac
66 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
0.5 mi lanes · 13 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Decorah?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Decorah have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Decorah is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #6 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Decorah’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land66 acres of park per 1,000 residents (497 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home94% 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 91%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 96%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Dunnings Spring Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Phelps Park
Nature preserve
45 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
Dunnings Spring Park52 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPhelps Park45 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Will Baker Park43 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCarl Selland Park71 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTrout Run Wildlife Management Area46 acres
Chattahoochie County Park34 acres
Winneshiek County Fairgrounds25 acres
Highway 52 Surplus12 acres
Trout Run County Park7 acres
Nordhem Park6 acres
Miller Park6 acres
Swimming Pool Park4 acres
DirectionsPalisades Park1 acres
Bendthal Commons1 acres · Luther College
DirectionsMary Christopher Park1 acres
Who protects it
495 conserved acres
11% of Decorah’s land. Who manages Decorah’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city411 ac
County56 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)49 ac
State natural resources45 ac
Local Park · 400 acLocal Other or Unknown · 67 acConservation Easement · 48 acState Conservation Area · 45 acAgricultural Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trout Run Trail Local Park | Town or city | 99 | Open |
| Carl Selland Park Local Park | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Decorah Community Prairie & Butterfly Garden Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Dunnings Spring Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Phelps Park Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Trout Run Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 45 | Open |
| Will Baker Park and Canoe Landing Area Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Chattahoochie Park Local Park | County | 27 | Open |
| Trout Run County Park Local Park | County | 13 | Open |
| Highway 52 Surplus Local Park | County | 12 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Decorah
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Decorah
Decorah Municipal Swimming PoolIn Swimming Pool Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Decorah
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Decorah
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Decorah
Pulpit Rock CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Dike path0.5 mi
Dunning Spring0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
13 mi
off-road bike paths
1.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
18Tennis
5Baseball
5Football
4Soccer
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →17 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Painter-Bernatz MillBuilding · listed 1974
About itEllsworth-Porter HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itNorris Miller HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itHorn HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itDecorah Ice CaveSite · listed 1978
About itBirdsall Lime KilnStructure · listed 1979
About itLuther College FarmBuilding · listed 1979
About itSteyer Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itSteyer BridgeStructure · listed 1983
About itKoren LibraryBuilding · listed 1984
About itDecorah Woolen MillBuilding · listed 2001
About itDecorah Municipal Bathhouse and Swimming PoolBuilding · listed 2012
About it5 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Decorah
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 30 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 43 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 6.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Decorah →
Questions about parks and trails in Decorah
Where can I hike in Decorah?
The longest trail networks: Dunnings Spring Park, 0.7 miles; Phelps Park, 0.7 miles; Will Baker Park, 0.4 miles; Carl Selland Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Decorah 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 Decorah’s trails?
Dunnings Spring Park and Phelps Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Decorah?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes, 13 of off-road paths and 1.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Decorah?
6,933 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Decorah or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 497 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Decorah have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 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 Decorah 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 →