Stone State Park
Managed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
1,422 acres12.8 mi of trail
Broken Toe TrailMount Lucia TrailBuffalo Run TrailBig Sioux Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sioux City
Sioux City has 3,614 acres of parks, 42 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Sioux City’s land is conserved, about 3,648 acres. The biggest trail networks: Stone State Park (12.8 mi), Bacon Creek Park (7 mi), Sioux City State Prairie Preserve (1.7 mi). 42 miles of mapped trail cross Sioux City, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #14 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
3,648 acres · of 59.4 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,614 ac
42 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
43 mi
43 mi paths
Highest peak
1,293 ft
Dakota Point
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sioux City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sioux City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sioux City is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #14 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sioux City’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land42 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,614 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home88% 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 87%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 91%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. 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 Stone State Park, with 12.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bacon Creek Park
Park
232 acres7 mi of trail
Bacon Creek
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sioux City State Prairie Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
149 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Grandview Park
Managed by City of Sioux City
33 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 48 parks & preserves
Stone State Park1,422 acres · 12.8 mi of trail · Iowa Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBacon Creek Park232 acres · 7 mi of trail
Sioux City State Prairie Preserve149 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Chris Larsen Park128 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Park97 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsGrandview Park33 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · City of Sioux City
DirectionsSouth Ravine Park75 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsPrairie Park108 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWar Eagle Park72 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Sertoma Park110 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCook Park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMid-City Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Bluffs133 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Spalding Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKirk Hansen Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Legacy Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSacajawea Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Edgewater Park65 acres
Chautauqua Park41 acres
Pulaski Park23 acres
Leif Erickson Park19 acres
DirectionsHeadid Park & Ball Fields15 acres
DirectionsGoldie & Beck Park10 acres
Jeffrey Dibble Sports Complex8 acres
DirectionsCenter Street Park7 acres
DirectionsWimson Park7 acres
Lewis Park6 acres
DirectionsBishop Mueller Baseball/Softball Complex6 acres
Lyons Park5 acres
Emerson Park5 acres
Hillcrest Park4 acres
DirectionsHubbard Park4 acres
DirectionsHeadington Park4 acres
Carlin Park4 acres
DirectionsKelly Park4 acres
Hi-View Park4 acres
Ruegger Complex4 acres
DirectionsLatham Park3 acres
Macomb Park3 acres
Fairmount Park2 acres
DirectionsSunken Garden Park2 acres
DirectionsKrumman Park2 acres
DirectionsCecelia Park1 acres
DirectionsLeeds Park1 acres
Children's Park1 acres
Smith Villa Heights Park1 acres
Dale Street Park1 acres
Sanford Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,648 conserved acres
10% of Sioux City’s land. Who manages Sioux City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,901 ac
State natural resources1,436 ac
County299 ac
Joint6 ac
Other state land3 ac
Private owners1 ac
Local Park · 1,928 acState Park · 1,416 acLocal Conservation Area · 284 acState Conservation Area · 19 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,416 | Open |
| Green Vally & Floyd Golf Local Park | Town or city | 359 | Open |
| Bacon Creek Local Park | Town or city | 221 | Open |
| Sioux City Prairie Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 151 | Open |
| Riverside Bluffs Prairie Local Conservation Area | County | 132 | Open |
| Chris Larson City Park Local Park | Town or city | 121 | Open |
| South Ravine Local Park | Town or city | 120 | Open |
| Riverside Park/Sports Com Local Park | Town or city | 118 | Open |
| Logan Park Cemetery Local Park | Town or city | 105 | Open |
| Floyd Complex Local Park | Town or city | 102 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
78 places to go in Sioux City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Sioux City
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Sioux City
Leif Erickson PoolIn Leif Erickson Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Sioux City
51 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Sioux City
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Sioux City
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Sioux City
Bobsled RunIn Stone State Park
DirectionsGobbler PointIn Stone State Park
DirectionsKestrel PointIn Stone State Park
DirectionsMount LuciaIn Stone State Park
DirectionsScenic OverlookIn Stone State Park
DirectionsPeaks in Sioux City
Dakota Point1,293 ft elevation · In Stone State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Sioux City
8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Sioux City
Camp High Hopes
DirectionsStone State Park CampgroundIn Stone State Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Sioux City
Leif Erickson Disc Golf CourseIn Leif Erickson Park · City of Sioux City
DirectionsPlus 2 disc golf without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Sioux City
Dale Street Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 13.3 miHorses · 5.2 miUnpaved · 8.9 mi
Broken Toe Trail1.9 mi
Mount Lucia Trail1.0 mi
Buffalo Run Trail0.9 mi
Big Sioux Trail0.8 mi
Whitetail Ridge0.8 mi
Ruth's Ridge Trail0.6 mi
Longfoot Trail0.6 mi
Mark's Glen Trail0.5 mi
Elk Run Trail0.5 mi
Loess Trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Carolyn Benne Nature Trail
0.4 miBluestem
0.4 miDeer Run
0.4 miCone Crest
0.4 miHidden Valley
0.4 miLoess Loop
0.4 miBacon Creek
0.3 miDakota Point Trail
0.3 miFox Run
0.3 miBur Oak Bluff
0.3 miTurtle Lake Trail
0.2 miBuzzard Roost
0.2 miElk Point Trail
0.2 miWalnut Valley
0.2 miBear Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
43 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
43 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
53Baseball
46Tennis
19Soccer
14Basketball
7Football
3Beach volleyball
2Volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →48 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 21 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Sioux City Central High SchoolBuilding · listed 1974
About itJohn Peirce HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itSioux City Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itBadgerow BuildingBuilding · listed 1982
About itCharles City College HallBuilding · listed 1983
About itBoston BlockBuilding · listed 1985
About itEvans BlockBuilding · listed 1985
About itWarrior HotelBuilding · listed 1985
About itFourth Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995
About it36 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Sioux City
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 35 | 48 | 61 | 73 | 83 | 86 | 83 | 77 | 63 | 47 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sioux City →
Next door
Sioux City and its neighbors
Sioux City has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sioux City42 miBig Sioux Township22 miDakota Dunes7.8 miSouth Sioux City0.9 miSergeant Bluff0.7 miNorth Sioux City0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | 10% | 0.7 | 42 | 88% | A |
| Sergeant Bluff | 3% | 0.2 | 13 | 99%+ | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sioux City
Where can I hike in Sioux City?
The longest trail networks: Stone State Park, 12.8 miles; Bacon Creek Park, 7 miles; Sioux City State Prairie Preserve, 1.7 miles; Chris Larsen Park, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sioux City is conserved land?
10% 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 Sioux City’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Stone State Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sioux City?
43 miles of bike routes are on the map: 43 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sioux City?
11,723 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sioux City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,614 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Sioux City have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Sioux City 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 →