Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.096% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Grimes
1% of Grimes’ land is conserved, about 101 acres. 2.5 miles of mapped trail cross Grimes, 0.2 per square mile of land. 133 acres are parks and preserves, 8.1 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #104 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Grimes?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Grimes have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grimes is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #104 of 140 in Iowa. 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 Waterworks Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Glenstone Park
All 9 parks & preserves
101 conserved acres
1% of Grimes’ land. Who manages Grimes’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grimes Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Grimes North Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Waterworks Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Glenstone Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Grimes Community Center & Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Shawver Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Beaverbrooke Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
20 places to go in Grimes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
33 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.
September is the best month for walking in Grimes
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 48 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Grimes →
Grimes and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Grimes
Where can I hike in Grimes?
The longest trail networks: Waterworks Park, 0.1 miles; Glenstone Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grimes is conserved land?
1% 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 Grimes’ trails?
Waterworks Park and Beaverbrooke South Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grimes?
33 miles of bike routes are on the map: 33 of off-road paths. Named routes: Northwest Brookside Drive Sidepath.
Is there public land near Grimes?
19,494 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grimes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 133 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Grimes have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #104 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 Grimes 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 →