Wall Bicentennial Park
Park
50 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John R. Wright House · Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in McPherson
McPherson has 6.4 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Wall Bicentennial Park (0.6 mi). 189 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #28 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
183 acres · of 8.2 sq mi of land
Trails
6.4 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
189 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.3 mi
4.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is McPherson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does McPherson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, McPherson is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #28 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.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of McPherson’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (189 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home94% 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 74%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 82%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so McPherson’s 4% is ahead of 72% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% 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 Wall Bicentennial Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 15 parks & preserves
Wall Bicentennial Park50 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeside Park40 acres
DirectionsAthletic Park8 acres
DirectionsOak Grove Park7 acres
DirectionsSycamore Park6 acres
Hess Park5 acres
Linmea Park3 acres
DirectionsSunflower Triangle Park3 acres
Wickersham Park2 acres
DirectionsCountryside Park2 acres
Homestead Park2 acres
DirectionsWhitlock Park2 acres
DirectionsChallenger Park1 acres
Tall Grass Park1 acres
Who protects it
183 conserved acres
4% of McPherson’s land. Who manages McPherson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city183 ac
Local Park · 133 acLocal Recreation Area · 50 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall Park Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Lakeside Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Grant Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Athletic Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Sycamore Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Hess Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Linmea Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Wickersham Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Sunflower Triangle Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in McPherson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in McPherson
Countryside Park PlaygroundIn Countryside Park
DirectionsHess Park PlaygroundIn Hess Park
DirectionsLinmea Park PlaygroundIn Linmea Park
DirectionsWhitlock PlaygroundIn Whitlock Park
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in McPherson
Bremyer Dog Park
DirectionsBiking & sports
4.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
28Tennis
18Baseball
6Soccer
4Football
2Equestrian
2Basketball
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
McPherson Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itMcPherson County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itJohn R. Wright HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itKuns-Collier HouseBuilding · listed 2006
About itPower Plant No. 1Structure · listed 2007
About itMcPherson, Community BuildingBuilding · listed 2018
About itLakeside Park Band ShellStructure · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in McPherson
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 | 58 | 67 | 77 | 88 | 92 | 90 | 82 | 70 | 56 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in McPherson →
Next door
McPherson and its neighbors
McPherson has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson | 4% | 0.8 | 14 | 94% | B+ |
| Jackson 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 McPherson
Where can I hike in McPherson?
The longest trail networks: Wall Bicentennial Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of McPherson is conserved land?
4% 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 McPherson’s trails?
Wall Bicentennial Park and Lakeside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in McPherson?
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near McPherson?
215 acres of parks and open public land lie inside McPherson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 189 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does McPherson have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 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 McPherson 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 →