Score Park
Managed by Nevada, Iowa Parks and Recreation
49 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Richc80 · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Nevada
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Nevada
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Score Park (2.1 mi). 3.5 miles of mapped trail cross Nevada, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #41 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
113 acres · of 6.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.5 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
144 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.8 mi
2.9 mi lanes · 1.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Nevada?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Nevada have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Nevada is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #41 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Nevada’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (144 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13BParks 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 78%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 71%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Score Park, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 10 parks & preserves
Score Park49 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Nevada, Iowa Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWilson Farm Prairie7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Harrington Park33 acres
Directions4-H Park15 acres
DirectionsIndian Creek Greenbelt Trail9 acres
DirectionsEvergreen Lane (Briggs Terrace) Historical Site9 acres · Nevada, Iowa Historical Society
DirectionsKiwanis Park7 acres · Nevada Parks and Recreatio
DirectionsHattery Park3 acres · City of Nevada
DirectionsMardean Park3 acres
DirectionsMeadow Lane Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
113 conserved acres
3% of Nevada’s land. Who manages Nevada’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city112 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 113 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score Recreation Athletic Complex Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Harrington Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| 4-H Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Mardean Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Walker-Hattery Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Krupp Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
19 places to go in Nevada
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Nevada
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Nevada
Kiwanis ShelterIn Kiwanis Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Nevada
2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Nevada
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.1 mi
Wilson Farm Prairie Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Baseball
7Basketball
7Tennis
6Soccer
2Volleyball
1Equestrian
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Nevada
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 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Nevada →
Next door
Nevada and its neighbors
Nevada has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 3% | 0.6 | 21 | 99%+ | A− |
| Ames | 7% | 1.3 | 20 | 93% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Nevada
Where can I hike in Nevada?
The longest trail networks: Score Park, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Nevada is conserved land?
3% 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 Nevada’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Score Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Nevada?
4.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of painted or protected lanes and 1.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Nevada?
4,352 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nevada or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 144 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Nevada have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #41 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 Nevada 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 →