Photo: Mikjones24 · CC BY-SA 4.0Windsor Heights has 14 acres of parks, 2.8 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Colby Park (0.6 mi). 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross Windsor Heights, 0.7 per square mile of land. 1% of Windsor Heights’ land is conserved, about 13 acres.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns · #114 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
How much outdoors does Windsor Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Windsor Heights is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns, #114 of 140 in Iowa. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull 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 Colby Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
13 conserved acres
1% of Windsor Heights’ land. Who manages Windsor Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colby Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Windsor Heights Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Lion's Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
6 places to go in Windsor Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2.9 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
September is the best month for walking in Windsor Heights
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 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 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 Windsor Heights →
Windsor Heights 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor Heights | 1% | 0.7 | 3 | 70% | C+ |
| Clive | 10% | 0.6 | 27 | 99% | A |
| West Des Moines | 6% | 0.9 | 30 | 92% | A |
| Des Moines | 13% | 0.9 | 32 | 87% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Windsor Heights
Where can I hike in Windsor Heights?
The longest trail networks: Colby Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Windsor Heights is conserved land?
1% 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 Windsor Heights’ trails?
Colby Park and Lions Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Windsor Heights?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Windsor Heights?
12,928 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Windsor Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 14 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Windsor Heights have?
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #114 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 Windsor Heights 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 →