Walker Johnston Park
Park
77 acres1.5 mi of trail
Urbandale StoryWalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dennis Bratland · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Urbandale
7% of Urbandale’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Walker Johnston Park (1.5 mi), Walnut Creek Regional Park (1 mi), Northview Park (0.5 mi). 16 miles of mapped trail cross Urbandale, 0.7 per square mile of land. 7% of Urbandale’s land is conserved, about 955 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #16 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
955 acres · of 22.5 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,052 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
61 mi
2.6 mi lanes · 57 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Urbandale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Urbandale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Urbandale is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #16 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Urbandale’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,052 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · IA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 89%
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 Walker Johnston Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Walnut Creek Regional Park
Park
224 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Park and Arboretum
Park
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ashleaf Park
Park
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 47 parks & preserves
Walker Johnston Park77 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWalnut Creek Regional Park224 acres · 1 mi of trail
Northview Park49 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJeff Harm Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJackaline Baldwin Dunlap Park and Arboretum12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAshleaf Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Murphy Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthview Wetlands92 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWaterford Park38 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Cross Creek Park27 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBarrett Boesen Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
South Karen Acres Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJensen Neighborhood Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTimberline Park58 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsColby Woods32 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeview Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Brookview Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sharon Heights Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sylvan Ridge Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Colby Woods Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Timberline East Open Space21 acres
Winter Park21 acres
DirectionsHallbrook Park20 acres
Golfview Park19 acres
DirectionsSunflower Park14 acres
DirectionsDeer Ridge Park14 acres
DirectionsBiltmore11 acres
Brookshire Open Space11 acres
Waterford Landing North11 acres
Biltmore West11 acres
North Karen Acres Park8 acres
DirectionsGlen Eagles Park8 acres
Bestland Park7 acres
DirectionsCoronado Park7 acres
DirectionsWalnut Creek Hills Park6 acres
DirectionsDays Run Open Space6 acres
DirectionsBent Creek Ridge Park5 acres
Country Club North Open Space5 acres
Deer Ridge West Park5 acres
Northview Estates Park5 acres
DirectionsFoxdale Park5 acres
DirectionsRocklyn Park4 acres
DirectionsMeredith Park4 acres
DirectionsLaura A. Ward Park3 acres
DirectionsGolfview West Park3 acres
Donald J. Brush Park1 acres
Who protects it
955 conserved acres
7% of Urbandale’s land. Who manages Urbandale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city930 ac
County24 ac
Local Park · 955 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Creek Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 209 | Open |
| Northview Wetlands Local Park | Town or city | 93 | Open |
| Walker Johnston Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Northview Park Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Timberline Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Waterford Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| UGRA Softball/Soccer Complex Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Colby Woods Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Golfview Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Walnut Trace Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
56 places to go in Urbandale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Urbandale
Lions Park Seasonal Wading PoolIn Lions Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Urbandale
Urbandale All-Inclusive PlaygroundIn Northview Park
DirectionsWalker Johnston Community PlaygroundIn Walker Johnston Park
Directions50 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Urbandale
Urbandale Dog ParkFee · In Northview Wetlands
DirectionsPicnic areas in Urbandale
4 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.2 miUnpaved · 1.1 mi
Urbandale StoryWalk0.3 mi
Walnut Trace Park Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
61 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
57 mi
off-road bike paths
1.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Little Walnut Creek TrailBike route
0.4 miWalnut Creek Estates Greenbelt TrailBike route
0.3 miDays Run Greenbelt TrailBike route
0.3 miColby Woods TrailsBike route
0.3 miColby Woods Park North TrailBike route
0.3 miSouth Karen Acres Park TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
21Baseball
21Tennis
16Basketball
12Soccer
5Softball
2Football
2Tracks
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Urbandale
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 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 48 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Urbandale →
Next door
Urbandale and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbandale | 7% | 0.7 | 23 | 99% | A |
| Grimes | 1% | 0.2 | 8 | 96% | B− |
| Johnston | 13% | 1.4 | 16 | 82% | A |
| Des Moines | 13% | 0.9 | 32 | 87% | A |
| Clive | 10% | 0.6 | 27 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Urbandale
Where can I hike in Urbandale?
The longest trail networks: Walker Johnston Park, 1.5 miles; Walnut Creek Regional Park, 1 miles; Northview Park, 0.5 miles; Jeff Harm Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Urbandale is conserved land?
7% 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 Urbandale’s trails?
Walker Johnston Park and Walnut Creek Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Urbandale?
61 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes, 57 of off-road paths and 1.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Little Walnut Creek Trail, Walnut Creek Estates Greenbelt Trail and Days Run Greenbelt Trail.
Is there public land near Urbandale?
18,600 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Urbandale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,052 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Urbandale have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #16 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 Urbandale 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 →