Edmundson Park
Managed by City of Oskaloosa
62 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: H. Michael Miley from Schaumburg, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa has 6.9 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
90 acres are parks and preserves, 7.8 per 1,000 residents. 1% of Oskaloosa’s land is conserved, about 71 acres. 58% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #101 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
71 acres · of 8.1 sq mi of land
Trails
6.9 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
90 ac
7.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 10 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Oskaloosa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oskaloosa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oskaloosa is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #101 of 140 in Iowa. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oskaloosa’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land7.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (90 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home58% 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 48%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 28%
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 Edmundson Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
71 conserved acres
1% of Oskaloosa’s land. Who manages Oskaloosa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city70 ac
Local Park · 70 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmundson Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Vanderwilt Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| City Square Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
31 places to go in Oskaloosa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Oskaloosa
Edmundson PoolIn Edmundson Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Oskaloosa
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Oskaloosa
19 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Oskaloosa
Edmundson Park Disc Golf CourseIn Edmundson Park
DirectionsBiking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
10 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
22Soccer
16Baseball
8Tennis
5Football
4Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →40 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.
Daniel Nelson House and BarnBuilding · listed 1974
About itSmith-Johnson HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itMahaska County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1981
About itSeeberger-Loring-Kilburn HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itOskaloosa City Park and Band StandDistrict · listed 1983
About itJohn H. Shoemake HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itStock Judging PavilionBuilding · listed 1984
About itMaj. James W. McMullin HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itOskaloosa City Square Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itCarroll Alsop HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itJack Lamberson HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itRock Island Passenger DepotBuilding · listed 1989
About it28 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Oskaloosa
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 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Oskaloosa →
Next door
Oskaloosa and its neighbors
Oskaloosa has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskaloosa | 1% | 0.9 | 8 | 58% | B− |
| University Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oskaloosa
Where can I hike in Oskaloosa?
The longest trail networks: Edmundson Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oskaloosa is conserved land?
1% 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 Oskaloosa’s trails?
Edmundson Park and Vanderbilt Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oskaloosa?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes and 10 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oskaloosa?
2,904 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oskaloosa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 90 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Oskaloosa have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #101 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 Oskaloosa 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 →