Freedom Park
Park
22 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Conroe Bridge · Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jefferson Township
Jefferson Township has 35 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
2.8 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 80% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Jefferson Township’s land is conserved, about 480 acres.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
480 acres · of 47.2 sq mi of land
Trails
2.8 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
35 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,309 ft
Franks Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson Township is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson Township’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. 0.4C−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (35 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13BParks close to home80% 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 40%
LessMore
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Jefferson Township’s 2% is ahead of 43% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 23% 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 Freedom Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kansas River K-18 Wildlife Area
Managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
413 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
480 conserved acres
2% of Jefferson Township’s land. Who manages Jefferson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Joint441 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits231 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)209 ac
County22 ac
Town or city13 ac
Unknown Easement · 465 acAgricultural Easement · 416 acLocal Park · 35 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 445 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Park Local Park | County | 22 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Jefferson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Jefferson Township
Franks Hill1,309 ft elevation
DirectionsGrand View Hill1,286 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Jefferson Township
Smoky Hill RV Park
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Jefferson Township
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) | 40 | 45 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 86 | 91 | 89 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Jefferson Township →
Next door
Jefferson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Madison Township63 miSmoky Hill Township24 miLyon Township4.4 miJunction City3.7 miJefferson Township2.8 miWingfield Township2.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | 2% | 0.1 | 14 | 80% | C+ |
| Junction City | 4% | 0.3 | 12 | 80% | B |
| Smoky Hill Township | 27% | 0.4 | 166 | 1% | B+ |
| Madison Township | 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 10% | C− |
| Lyon Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wingfield 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 Jefferson Township
Where can I hike in Jefferson Township?
The longest trail networks: Freedom Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson Township 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 Jefferson Township’s trails?
Freedom Park and Kansas River K-18 Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jefferson Township?
12,793 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 35 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
Ahead of 40% 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 Jefferson Township 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 →