Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.010% of Muscatine’s land is conserved: 1,205 acres
The biggest trail networks: Fuller Park (1.4 mi), Discovery Park (0.6 mi). 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Muscatine, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #34 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Muscatine?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Muscatine have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Muscatine is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #34 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Water is 5% of Muscatine’s area (1 of 19 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Fuller Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Muscatine Soccer Complex
All 19 parks & preserves
1,205 conserved acres
10% of Muscatine’s land. Water is left out: Muscatine has 18.2 square miles of land and 1.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Muscatine’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 803 | Open |
| Discovery Park Local Park | County | 80 | Open |
| Weed Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Muscatine Kent-Stein Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Fuller Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Muscatine Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Mckee Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Musser Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Mad Creek Greenbelt Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
18 places to go in Muscatine
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Plus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
3 lakes & rivers
16 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.
20 places on the National Register
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.
8 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Muscatine: April and September
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 | 10.6 | 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 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 48 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
January is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Muscatine →
Questions about parks and trails in Muscatine
Where can I hike in Muscatine?
The longest trail networks: Fuller Park, 1.4 miles; Discovery Park, 0.6 miles; Muscatine Soccer Complex, 0.4 miles; Weed Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Muscatine is conserved land?
10% 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 Muscatine’s trails?
Fuller Park and Discovery Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Muscatine?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Muscatine?
21,855 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Muscatine or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,247 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Muscatine have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #34 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 Muscatine 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 →