Kill Creek Streamway Park
Managed by Johnson County Park and Recreation District
54 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: CommunicationsDeSoto · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in De Soto
De Soto has 305 acres of parks, 48 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Kill Creek Streamway Park (0.5 mi). 2% of De Soto’s land is conserved, about 251 acres. 2.7 miles of mapped trail cross De Soto, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #77 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
251 acres · of 25.7 sq mi of land
Trails
2.7 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
305 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
7.3 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does De Soto have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, De Soto is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #77 of 151 in Kansas. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of De Soto’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (305 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home69% of residents within a half mile of a park · KS 76% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 49%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 49%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so De Soto’s 2% is ahead of 42% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% of them.
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 Kill Creek Streamway Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riverfest Park
Park
46 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lexington Lake Park
Managed by Johnson County Park and Recreation District
19 acres0.4 mi of trail
Emerald LoopRose Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
De Soto Wilderness Park
Park
58 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Kill Creek Streamway Park54 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Johnson County Park and Recreation District
DirectionsRiverfest Park46 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Lexington Lake Park19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Johnson County Park and Recreation District
De Soto Wilderness Park58 acres
Miller Memorial Park13 acres
Lexington & Commerce Park10 acres
DirectionsSunflower Nature Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
251 conserved acres
2% of De Soto’s land. Who manages De Soto’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city155 ac
County96 ac
Local Recreation Area · 146 acLocal Park · 98 acLocal Other or Unknown · 7 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desoto Wilderness Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Kill Creek Park Local Recreation Area | County | 43 | Open |
| Riverfest Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Widow Bigknife Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Kill Creek Streamway Local Park | County | 35 | Open |
| Lexington Lake Park Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| Miller Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Sunflower Nature Park Local Recreation Area | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in De Soto
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in De Soto
De Soto Aquatics Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in De Soto
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in De Soto
Kill Creek Streamway Off Leash AreaIn Kill Creek Streamway Park
DirectionsBoat launches in De Soto
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 1.0 mi
Emerald Loop0.5 mi
Rose Loop0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
5Baseball
1Soccer
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).
Sunflower Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in De Soto
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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 80 | 68 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in De Soto →
Next door
De Soto 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Soto | 2% | 0.1 | 48 | 69% | B− |
| Lexington Township | 6% | 0.7 | 1,409 | 40% | A− |
| Lenexa | 8% | 0.6 | 36 | 90% | A− |
| Olathe | 5% | 0.4 | 15 | 89% | B+ |
| Shawnee | 9% | 1.1 | 40 | 84% | A |
| Sherman Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in De Soto
Where can I hike in De Soto?
The longest trail networks: Kill Creek Streamway Park, 0.5 miles; Riverfest Park, 0.4 miles; Lexington Lake Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of De Soto is conserved land?
2% 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 De Soto’s trails?
Kill Creek Streamway Park and Riverfest Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in De Soto?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.3 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near De Soto?
13,306 acres of parks and open public land lie inside De Soto or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 305 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does De Soto have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 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 De Soto 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 →