Campus Woods
Park
13 acres0.8 mi of trail
Campus Woods Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Photo: Ethan James Scherrer · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Emporia
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Emporia
The biggest trail networks: Campus Woods (0.8 mi). 8.3 miles of mapped trail cross Emporia, 0.7 per square mile of land. 469 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #26 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
255 acres · of 12.4 sq mi of land
Trails
8.3 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
469 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 4.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Emporia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Emporia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Emporia is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #26 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Emporia’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (469 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · KS 76% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 83%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Emporia’s 3% is ahead of 70% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. 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 Campus Woods, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jones Aquatic Center
Managed by City of Emporia
73 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 20 parks & preserves
Campus Woods13 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPeter Pan Park47 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJones Park69 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSoden's Grove Park34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Emporia
Champions Landing87 acres
DirectionsJones Aquatic Center73 acres · City of Emporia
Dryer Park19 acres
DirectionsWhittier Park14 acres
DirectionsSouthwest Santa Fe Park13 acres
Hammond Park10 acres
DirectionsCollege of Emporia Park6 acres
DirectionsLowther Field6 acres
DirectionsWilson Park5 acres
DirectionsLas Casitas Park4 acres
Fremont Park3 acres
DirectionsWoodland Park3 acres
East Street Park2 acres
DirectionsUrbanside Park2 acres
Quaker Park1 acres
Walnut Park1 acres
Who protects it
255 conserved acres
3% of Emporia’s land. Who manages Emporia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city243 ac
Other state land12 ac
Local Park · 243 acState Conservation Area · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones Youth Recreation Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Peter Pan Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Dryer Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Southwest Santa Fe Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Soden Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Whittier Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Las Casitas Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Campus Woods State Conservation Area | Other state land | 12 | Restricted |
| Hammond Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| C Of E Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Emporia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Emporia
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Emporia
Emporia Aquatic CenterIn Jones Aquatic Center
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Emporia
18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Emporia
Buck Fund Dog Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Emporia
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.3 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
ESU Trail1.8 mi
Campus Woods Path1.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.1 mi
off-road bike paths
1.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Baseball
18Tennis
16Soccer
8Basketball
6Pickleball
5Football
1Skate park
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →16 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hallie B. Soden HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itOld Emporia Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1981
About itKress BuildingBuilding · listed 1983
About itMrs. Preston B. Plumb HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itGranada TheaterBuilding · listed 1985
About itRichard Howe HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itAnderson Carnegie Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1987
About itHarris-Borman HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itKeebler-Stone HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itWalt Mason HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itWarren Wesley Finney HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About it4 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Emporia
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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 90 | 89 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Emporia →
Next door
Emporia and its neighbors
Emporia has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emporia | 3% | 0.7 | 19 | 95% | A− |
| Emporia Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pike 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 Emporia
Where can I hike in Emporia?
The longest trail networks: Campus Woods, 0.8 miles; Peter Pan Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Emporia is conserved land?
3% 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 Emporia’s trails?
Campus Woods and Peter Pan Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Emporia?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 4.1 of off-road paths and 1.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Emporia?
967 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Emporia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 469 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Emporia have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #26 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 Emporia 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 →