Dahlonega School #1 · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Ottumwa has 666 acres of parks, 26 for every 1,000 residents
6% of Ottumwa’s land is conserved, about 629 acres. 0.9 miles of mapped trail cross Ottumwa, 0.1 per square mile of land. 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #90 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Ottumwa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Ottumwa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ottumwa is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #90 of 140 in Iowa. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull 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 Greater Ottumwa Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 17 parks & preserves
629 conserved acres
6% of Ottumwa’s land. Who manages Ottumwa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Ottumwa Park Local Park | County | 255 | Open |
| Ottumwa Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 156 | Open |
| Wildwood Park Local Park | County | 55 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | County | 47 | Open |
| Wayside Park Local Park | County | 28 | Open |
| Haupert River Access Local Park | County | 13 | Open |
| Sycamore Park Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Black Hawk River Access Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Union Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
| Hamilton Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
51 places to go in Ottumwa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
41 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
7 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 campground without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
8.0 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.
24 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.
12 more on the History page.
September is the best month for walking in Ottumwa
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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 50 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ottumwa →
Questions about parks and trails in Ottumwa
Where can I hike in Ottumwa?
The longest trail networks: Greater Ottumwa Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ottumwa is conserved land?
6% 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 Ottumwa’s trails?
Greater Ottumwa Park and Wildwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ottumwa?
8.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ottumwa?
3,907 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ottumwa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 666 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ottumwa have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #90 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 Ottumwa 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 →