Photo: Pleasnthillparks · CC BY-SA 4.0Pleasant Hill has 5.6 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 208 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents. 3% of Pleasant Hill’s land is conserved, about 187 acres.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #72 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Pleasant Hill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Pleasant Hill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pleasant Hill is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #72 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls 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 Doanes Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Copper Creek Lake Park
All 5 parks & preserves
187 conserved acres
3% of Pleasant Hill’s land. Who manages Pleasant Hill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Creek Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Gay Lea Wilson Trail Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Doanes Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Oakwood Cemetary Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Christie Coal Woodlands Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Sunrise Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Gay Lea Wilson Trail State Recreation Area | County | 3 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Estates Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 places to go in Pleasant Hill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
15 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.
September is the best month for walking in Pleasant Hill
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) | 30 | 35 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Pleasant Hill →
Pleasant Hill and its neighbors
Pleasant Hill has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Hill | 3% | 0.5 | 19 | 85% | B+ |
| Des Moines | 13% | 0.9 | 32 | 87% | A |
| Altoona | 5% | 0.2 | 19 | 99% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pleasant Hill
Where can I hike in Pleasant Hill?
The longest trail networks: Doanes Park, 0.4 miles; Copper Creek Lake Park, 0.1 miles; Meacham Place Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pleasant Hill 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 Pleasant Hill’s trails?
Doanes Park and Copper Creek Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pleasant Hill?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 15 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pleasant Hill?
21,172 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pleasant Hill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 208 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pleasant Hill have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #72 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 Pleasant Hill 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 →