Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Ely
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Ely, 0.5 per square mile of land. 30 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Ely?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Ely have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ely is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Ely City Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Vavra Park
30 conserved acres
3% of Ely’s land. Who manages Ely’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ely City Park Local Park | County | 19 | Open |
| Vavre Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Hoover Nature Trail State Recreation Area | County | 2 | Open |
| Community Center Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
| Schulte Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
5 places to go in Ely
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail
2.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
September is the best month for walking in Ely
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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 33 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ely →
Questions about parks and trails in Ely
Where can I hike in Ely?
The longest trail networks: Ely City Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ely is conserved land?
3% 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 Ely’s trails?
Ely City Park and Vavra Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ely?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ely?
25,377 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ely or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 30 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ely have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Ely neighbors.
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 →