Photo: Ashton B Crew · CC BY 3.0Madrid has 35 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Madrid’s land is conserved, about 16 acres. 0.5 miles of mapped trail cross Madrid, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #85 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Madrid?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Madrid have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Madrid is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #85 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 Edgewood Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
16 conserved acres
2% of Madrid’s land. Who manages Madrid’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny to Woodward Trail State Recreation Area | County | 16 | Open |
9 places to go in Madrid
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1.4 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
September is the best month for walking in Madrid
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) | 29 | 34 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Madrid →
Questions about parks and trails in Madrid
Where can I hike in Madrid?
The longest trail networks: Edgewood Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Madrid is conserved land?
2% 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 Madrid’s trails?
Edgewood Park and High Trestle Trail don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Madrid?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Madrid?
16,061 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Madrid or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 35 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Madrid have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #85 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 Madrid 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 →