Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area
Managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
709 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Bhall87 · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Palmyra Township
Palmyra Township has 986 acres of parks, 127 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area (0.8 mi). 3.7 miles of mapped trail cross Palmyra Township. 2% of Palmyra Township’s land is conserved, about 1,283 acres.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #74 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
1,283 acres · of 81.5 sq mi of land
Trails
3.7 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
986 ac
127 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Palmyra Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Palmyra Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palmyra Township is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #74 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 Palmyra Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land127 acres of park per 1,000 residents (986 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13AParks close to home61% 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 50%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 51%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Palmyra Township’s 2% is ahead of 57% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 19% 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 Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Black Jack Nature Park
Park
21 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Breidenthal Biological Reserve
Managed by University of Kansas
87 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rice Woodland
Nature preserve
78 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area709 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
DirectionsBlack Jack Nature Park21 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSullivan Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Baldwin City Recreation Commission
DirectionsBreidenthal Biological Reserve87 acres · University of Kansas
Rice Woodland78 acres
Roy and Eleanor Wall Woods34 acres · University of Kansas
Grove Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,283 conserved acres
2% of Palmyra Township’s land. Who manages Palmyra Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife601 ac
Other state land371 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits135 ac
Town or city131 ac
Private owners46 ac
State Recreation Area · 767 acUnknown Easement · 135 acLocal Recreation Area · 97 acPrivate Conservation · 89 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 82 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 133 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas State Fishing Lake And Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 601 | Open |
| Douglas State Fishing Lake State Recreation Area | Other state land | 166 | Open |
| Spring Creek Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 97 | Open |
| Breidenthal Biological Reserve Private Conservation | Other state land | 89 | Closed |
| Rice Woodland State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 82 | Open |
| Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Trust Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 41 | Closed |
| Roy and Eleanor Wall Woods State Conservation Area | Other state land | 35 | Restricted |
| Pioneer Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Ivan L. Boyd Prairie Preserve Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 6 | Closed |
| Firetree Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Palmyra Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Palmyra Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Palmyra Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
12Baseball
9Tennis
8Soccer
4Basketball
2Beach volleyball
2Football
2Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →21 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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Vinland Grange HallBuilding · listed 2000
About itSanta Fe Trail-Douglas County Trail SegmentsSite · listed 2002
About itVinland Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 2003
About itCoal Creek LibraryBuilding · listed 2003
About itVinland Fair Association Fairgrounds Exhibit BuildingBuilding · listed 2004
About itBlack Jack Battlefield Boundary IncreaseSite · listed 2005
About itBarnes Apple BarnBuilding · listed 2006
About itStony Point Evangelical Lutheran ChurchBuilding · listed 2006
About itTrail Park and Trail Park DAR MarkerSite · listed 2013
About itClearfield School-District 58Building · listed 2014
About itStar Cash Grocery Store and ResidenceBuilding · listed 2019
About it9 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Palmyra 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 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 89 | 88 | 80 | 68 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Palmyra Township →
Next door
Palmyra Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wakarusa Township18 miMcCamish Township16 miFranklin Township4.4 miPalmyra Township3.7 miEudora Township1.1 miWillow Springs Township1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 127 | 61% | B− |
| Willow Springs Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 3% | D− |
| McCamish Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wakarusa Township | 3% | 0.4 | 95 | 24% | B |
| Franklin Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 52% | C− |
| Eudora Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 11 | 73% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palmyra Township
Where can I hike in Palmyra Township?
The longest trail networks: Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, 0.8 miles; Black Jack Nature Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palmyra 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 Palmyra Township’s trails?
Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area and Black Jack Nature Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Palmyra Township?
18,643 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palmyra Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 986 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Palmyra Township have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #74 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 Palmyra 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 →