Photo: JonHarder · CC BY-SA 3.07% of Hillsboro’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 129 acres are parks and preserves, 48 per 1,000 residents. 7% of Hillsboro’s land is conserved, about 115 acres.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #16 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Hillsboro?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Hillsboro have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hillsboro is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #16 of 151 in Kansas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Hillsboro’s 7% is ahead of 92% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 35% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
115 conserved acres
7% of Hillsboro’s land. Who manages Hillsboro’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 115 | Open |
5 places to go in Hillsboro
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
0.9 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 map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
April is the best month for walking in Hillsboro
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 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 87 | 92 | 90 | 82 | 70 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hillsboro →
Hillsboro 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro | 7% | 0.1 | 48 | 99%+ | A− |
| Risley Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Liberty 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 Hillsboro
How much of Hillsboro is conserved land?
7% 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 Hillsboro’s trails?
Marion County Fair Grounds and Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hillsboro?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hillsboro?
826 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hillsboro or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 129 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hillsboro have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #16 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 Hillsboro 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 →