Big Rock City Park
Nature preserve
56 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Photo: Dmetz61753 · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Pella
Pella has 117 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Big Rock City Park (2.3 mi), West Market Park (0.5 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.6 miles of mapped trail cross Pella, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #87 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
110 acres · of 9.3 sq mi of land
Trails
4.6 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
117 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
3.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Pella?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pella have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pella is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #87 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pella’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (117 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home90% 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 59%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 38%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Big Rock City Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West Market Park
Park
5 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Big Rock City Park56 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Market Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Caldwell Park20 acres
DirectionsCentral Park4 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park4 acres
Rotary Park3 acres
Lions Park3 acres
Sunken Gardens Park2 acres
South Park1 acres
DirectionsFountain Hills Park1 acres
Brinkhoff Park1 acres
Who protects it
110 conserved acres
2% of Pella’s land. Who manages Pella’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city106 ac
County4 ac
Local Park · 110 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Rock Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Pella City Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| West Market Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Fountain Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Public Square Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Volksweg Trail Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Sunken Gardens Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Pella
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pella
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in Pella
Central Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
Directions10 more disc golf
Central Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCentral Disc Golf Course
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Volksweg TrailBike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
26Tennis
17Baseball
11Soccer
11Basketball
6Football
2Beach volleyball
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →20 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Dirk Van Loon HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itDominie Henry P. Scholte HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itWilliam Van Asch House-Huibert Debooy Commercial RoomBuilding · listed 1987
About itVan Spanckeren, B. H. and J. H. H., Row HousesBuilding · listed 1990
About itChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Passenger Depot-PellaBuilding · listed 1991
About itPella Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itEast Amsterdam SchoolBuilding · listed 2000
About itDirk and Cornelia J. Vander Wilt CottageBuilding · listed 2001
About itHendrik J. and Wilhelmina H. Van Den Berg CottageBuilding · listed 2003
About itPorter-Rhynsburger HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itPhilipus J. and Cornelia Koelman HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itFirst Christian ChurchBuilding · listed 2007
About it8 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Pella
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) | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Pella →
Questions about parks and trails in Pella
Where can I hike in Pella?
The longest trail networks: Big Rock City Park, 2.3 miles; West Market Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pella is conserved land?
2% 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 Pella’s trails?
Big Rock City Park and West Market Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pella?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: Volksweg Trail.
Is there public land near Pella?
17,341 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pella or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 117 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pella have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #87 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 Pella 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 →