Estherville has 120 acres of parks, 21 for every 1,000 residents
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Spurgin Park (1 mi). 1.4 miles of mapped trail cross Estherville, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #78 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Estherville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Estherville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Estherville is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #78 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull 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 Spurgin Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Thoreson Memorial Park
All 11 parks & preserves
104 conserved acres
3% of Estherville’s land. Who manages Estherville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Joe Hoye Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Dave Spurgin Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Thoreson Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Joe Hoye Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Wayne King Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| South Fourteenth Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| South Tenth Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Fort Defiance State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1 | Open |
| Trinity Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
12 places to go in Estherville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 lakes & rivers
2.8 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.
The walking year in Estherville
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) | 24 | 28 | 41 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 43 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Estherville →
Questions about parks and trails in Estherville
Where can I hike in Estherville?
The longest trail networks: Spurgin Park, 1 miles; Joe Hoye Park, 0.1 miles; Riverside Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Estherville 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 Estherville’s trails?
Spurgin Park and Joe Hoye Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Estherville?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes and 2.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Estherville?
10,366 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Estherville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 120 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Estherville have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 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 Estherville 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 →