Atchinson Santa Fe Freight Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Atchison has 376 acres of parks, 35 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Warnock Lake Park (1.4 mi), Jackson Park (1.3 mi), Atchison Recreation Sports Complex (0.6 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Atchison’s land is conserved, about 307 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #20 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Atchison?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Atchison have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Atchison is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #20 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Atchison’s 6% is ahead of 90% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 69% of them.
Water is 5% of Atchison’s area (0 of 8 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Warnock Lake Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Atchison Recreation Sports Complex
Riverfront Park
All 11 parks & preserves
307 conserved acres
6% of Atchison’s land. Water is left out: Atchison has 8.0 square miles of land and 0.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Atchison’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warnock Lake Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 162 | Open |
| Jackson Park Local Park | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Walt Wilburn Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Independence Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Morrow Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Bromley Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Reisner Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Lfm Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Fetch & Stretch Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
20 places to go in Atchison
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
12 lakes & rivers
4.6 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.
46 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
34 more on the History page.
April is the best month for walking in Atchison
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 43 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 87 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Atchison →
Atchison and its neighbors
Atchison has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison | 6% | 0.5 | 35 | 85% | A− |
| Shannon Township | 1% | 0.3 | 214 | 32% | B− |
| Lancaster Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Walnut Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Atchison
Where can I hike in Atchison?
The longest trail networks: Warnock Lake Park, 1.4 miles; Jackson Park, 1.3 miles; Atchison Recreation Sports Complex, 0.6 miles; Riverfront Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Atchison is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Kansas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Atchison’s trails?
Warnock Lake Park and Jackson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Atchison?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Atchison?
860 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Atchison or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 376 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Atchison have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #20 of 151 in Kansas. 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 Atchison 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 →