Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park
Managed by Ahrens Park Foundation
80 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Merchants' National Bank · Photo: Einar Einarsson Kvaran aka Carptrash · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Grinnell
6% of Grinnell’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 5.1 miles of mapped trail cross Grinnell, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park (2.2 mi), Arbor Lake Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #12 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
207 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
238 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Grinnell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Grinnell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grinnell is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #12 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Grinnell’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (238 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 92%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to 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 Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arbor Lake Park
Managed by City of Grinnell, Iowa
79 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Central Park
Managed by City of Grinnell, Iowa
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Miller Park
Managed by City of Grinnell, Iowa
25 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park80 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Ahrens Park Foundation
DirectionsArbor Lake Park79 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of Grinnell, Iowa
DirectionsCentral Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Grinnell, Iowa
DirectionsVan Horn Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Grinnell, Iowa
Summer Street Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Grinnell
DirectionsBailey Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Grinnell, Iowa
DirectionsLion's Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Grinnell, Iowa
DirectionsMiller Park25 acres · City of Grinnell, Iowa
DirectionsMerrill Park8 acres · City of Grinnell
DirectionsThomazin Park2 acres · City of Grinnell, Iowa
DirectionsWho protects it
207 conserved acres
6% of Grinnell’s land. Who manages Grinnell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city207 ac
Local Park · 203 acLocal Recreation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Grinnell Athletic & Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Miller Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Merrill Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Van Horne Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Bailey Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Grinnell Mutual Family Aquatic Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Grinnell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Grinnell
22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Grinnell
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Grinnell
Marvin GardenImagine Grinnell
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Tennis
16Soccer
12Tracks
8Basketball
7Baseball
6Softball
4Pickleball
3Beach 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, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Stewart LibraryBuilding · listed 1976
About itChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad-Grinnell Passenger StationSite · listed 1976
About itSpaulding Manufacturing CompanyBuilding · listed 1978
About itGoodnow HallBuilding · listed 1979
About itMears HallBuilding · listed 1979
About itLevi P. Grinnell HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itB. J. Ricker HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itCharles H. Spencer HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itBowers and McDonald Office BuildingBuilding · listed 1990
About itInterior Telephone Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1990
About itGrinnell Herald BuildingBuilding · listed 1991
About it5 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Grinnell
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) | 28 | 33 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Grinnell →
Questions about parks and trails in Grinnell
Where can I hike in Grinnell?
The longest trail networks: Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, 2.2 miles; Arbor Lake Park, 0.8 miles; Central Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grinnell is conserved land?
6% 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 Grinnell’s trails?
Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park and Arbor Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grinnell?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Grinnell?
4,081 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grinnell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 238 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Grinnell have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 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 Grinnell 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 →