Agnes Patterson Memorial Park
Park
57 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Newton
Newton has 214 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Newton, 0.1 per square mile of land. 3% of Newton’s land is conserved, about 194 acres.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #98 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
194 acres · of 11.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
214 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.5 mi
5.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Newton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newton is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #98 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newton’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (214 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home85% of residents within a half mile of a park · IA 91% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 49%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 30%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Agnes Patterson Memorial Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Woodland Park
Park
38 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Thirty Acre Park
Park
37 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Agnes Patterson Memorial Park57 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSunset Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHillcrest Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMaytag Park38 acres
DirectionsWoodland Park38 acres
Thirty Acre Park37 acres
Aurora Park8 acres
DirectionsDenniston Knolls Park3 acres
Callison Park1 acres
Who protects it
194 conserved acres
3% of Newton’s land. Who manages Newton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city193 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 145 acLocal Conservation Area · 37 acLocal Recreation Area · 11 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes Patterson Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Thirty Acre Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Woodland Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Maytag Park & Childrens Forest Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Softball Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Aurora Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Denniston Knolls Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Hillcrest Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Landmark Exhibit State Historic or Cultural Area | County | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Newton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Newton
Fred Maytag PoolIn Maytag Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Newton
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Newton
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Newton
Maytag Park Disc Golf CourseIn Maytag Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
9Tennis
6Basketball
4Soccer
2Football
2Beach volleyball
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1977
About itJasper County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1981
About itThomas Arthur HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itAugust H. Bergman HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itEmerson Hough Elementary SchoolBuilding · listed 2002
About itFred Maytag Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010
About itNewton Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014
About itFirst Avenue East Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020
About itFirst Avenue West Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Newton
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) | 29 | 34 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
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 Newton →
Questions about parks and trails in Newton
Where can I hike in Newton?
The longest trail networks: Agnes Patterson Memorial Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newton 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 Newton’s trails?
Agnes Patterson Memorial Park and Maytag Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newton?
5.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Newton?
4,402 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 214 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Newton have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #98 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 Newton 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 →