Memorial Park
Park
123 acres4.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: CGP Grey (http://www.cgpgrey.com/) · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Russell
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Russell
4.9 miles of mapped trail cross Russell, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Memorial Park (4.2 mi). 137 acres are parks and preserves, 32 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #18 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
52 acres · of 4.9 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
137 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Russell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Russell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Russell is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #18 of 151 in Kansas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Russell’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (137 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% 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 79%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 89%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Russell’s 2% is ahead of 44% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% 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 Memorial Park, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
52 conserved acres
2% of Russell’s land. Who manages Russell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city51 ac
Local Park · 51 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Bickerdyke Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Fossil Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Eagle Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Russell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Russell
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Russell
Triple-J Camper Park
DirectionsBiking & 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
7Baseball
6Tennis
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
US Post Office-RussellBuilding · listed 1989
About itMann HouseBuilding · listed 2001
About itWoelk HouseBuilding · listed 2001
About itDream TheaterBuilding · listed 2006
About itBanks-Waudby BuildingBuilding · listed 2006
About itFirst National Bank-Waudby BuildingBuilding · listed 2006
About itRussell County Jail and Sheriff's ResidenceBuilding · listed 2012
About itNicholas Gernon HouseBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Russell
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) | 42 | 47 | 58 | 67 | 77 | 88 | 93 | 90 | 82 | 70 | 56 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 4.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Russell →
Next door
Russell and its neighbors
Russell has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell | 2% | 1.0 | 32 | 96% | A− |
| Russell Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Grant 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 Russell
Where can I hike in Russell?
The longest trail networks: Memorial Park, 4.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Russell 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 Russell’s trails?
Memorial Park and Water Tower Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Russell?
6,375 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Russell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 137 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Russell have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 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 Russell 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 →