Charles J. Thompson House · Photo: Chuckmor · CC BY-SA 3.098% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Forest City
130 acres are parks and preserves, 30 per 1,000 residents. 5% of Forest City’s land is conserved, about 139 acres. 2.0 miles of mapped trail cross Forest City, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #32 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Forest City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Forest City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Forest City is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #32 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tim Coffee Park
All 9 parks & preserves
139 conserved acres
5% of Forest City’s land. Who manages Forest City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 34 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pammel Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Clarks Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Tim Coffee Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Thomas Bearse Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Merrick City Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Rotary-Westgate Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Woodland Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Winnebago River Canoe Access Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
8 places to go in Forest City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 lakes & rivers
2.1 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The walking year in Forest City
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 | 79 | 73 | 60 | 43 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Forest City →
Questions about parks and trails in Forest City
How much of Forest City is conserved land?
5% 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 Forest City’s trails?
Pammel Park and Eastwoods Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Forest City?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Forest City?
8,234 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Forest City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 130 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Forest City have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 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 Forest City 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 →