Clay County Courthouse · Photo: Scott Romine · CC BY-SA 4.0Spencer has 10 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
508 acres are parks and preserves, 45 per 1,000 residents. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: River View Park (1.8 mi), Oneota Little Sioux Access Park (1.5 mi), East Leach Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #8 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Spencer?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Spencer have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Spencer is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #8 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
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 River View Park, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oneota Little Sioux Access Park
All 15 parks & preserves
581 conserved acres
8% of Spencer’s land. Who manages Spencer’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 15 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oneota Little Sioux Access Local Conservation Area | County | 133 | Open |
| Stolley Park & Pond & Green Belt Local Park | Town or city | 111 | Open |
| Reiter Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 93 | Open |
| River View Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| East Leach Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Pederson Memorial Park & Cardinal Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| West Leach Field Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Fairview Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Westview Memorial Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
13 places to go in Spencer
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
11 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.
6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The walking year in Spencer
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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 30 | 43 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 75 | 61 | 44 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Spencer →
Questions about parks and trails in Spencer
Where can I hike in Spencer?
The longest trail networks: River View Park, 1.8 miles; Oneota Little Sioux Access Park, 1.5 miles; East Leach Park, 0.8 miles; West Leach Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Spencer is conserved land?
8% 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 Spencer’s trails?
River View Park and Oneota Little Sioux Access Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Spencer?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 8.5 of off-road paths and 2.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Spencer?
8,549 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Spencer or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 508 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Spencer have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #8 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 Spencer 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 →