High Trestle Trail
Nature preserve
8 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Woodward
Woodward has 10 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Woodward, 0.4 per square mile of land. 74% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
11 acres · of 3.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.6 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
10 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi paths
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Woodward have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Woodward is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Woodward’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (10 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home74% 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 44%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 High Trestle Trail, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
11 conserved acres
under 1% of Woodward’s land. Who manages Woodward’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city11 ac
Local Recreation Area · 10 acLocal Park · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Iowa Trail Network Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Colton Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Biking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
2Basketball
1Tennis
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Anthony M. McColl HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Woodward
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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 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 Woodward →
Questions about parks and trails in Woodward
Where can I hike in Woodward?
The longest trail networks: High Trestle Trail, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Woodward is conserved land?
under 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 Woodward’s trails?
High Trestle Trail doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Woodward?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Woodward?
15,862 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Woodward or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Woodward have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Woodward 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 →