Solomon Fowler Mansion · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain5% of Bristol’s land is conserved: 190 acres
43 acres are parks and preserves, 20 per 1,000 residents. 0.6 miles of mapped trail cross Bristol, 0.1 per square mile of land. 66% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Bristol?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Bristol have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bristol is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Bristol’s 5% is ahead of 80% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 44% of them.
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 Congdon Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
190 conserved acres
5% of Bristol’s land. Who manages Bristol’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rbaer Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 149 | Open |
| Hermance Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Congdon Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Cummins Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
9 places to go in Bristol
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
0.0 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.
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Bristol: April and July to September
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) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bristol →
Questions about parks and trails in Bristol
Where can I hike in Bristol?
The longest trail networks: Congdon Park, 0.4 miles; Cummins Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bristol is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 2% for an Indiana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Bristol’s trails?
Congdon Park and Cummins Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bristol?
4,802 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bristol or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 43 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bristol have?
Ahead of 53% 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 Bristol 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 →