Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.097% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Mount Vernon
1.5 miles of mapped trail cross Mount Vernon, 0.4 per square mile of land. 2% of Mount Vernon’s land is conserved, about 52 acres. 65 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #77 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Mount Vernon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Mount Vernon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Vernon is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #77 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 Nature Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 8 parks & preserves
52 conserved acres
2% of Mount Vernon’s land. Who manages Mount Vernon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Park Local Park | County | 22 | Open |
| Elliott Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | County | 14 | Open |
| Davis Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Bryant Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
| Lincoln Way Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Underhill Skate Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
9 places to go in Mount Vernon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
2.7 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.
17 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
5 more on the History page.
September is the best month for walking in Mount Vernon
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) | 28 | 33 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mount Vernon →
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Vernon
Where can I hike in Mount Vernon?
The longest trail networks: Nature Park, 0.4 miles; Ash Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mount Vernon 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 Mount Vernon’s trails?
Nature Park and Elliott Athletic Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mount Vernon?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mount Vernon?
8,684 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Vernon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 65 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mount Vernon have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 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 Mount Vernon 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 →