Iliff Commons
Nature preserve
79 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Soldier Township
Soldier Township has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Iliff Commons (3.9 mi), Shawnee North Community Park (1.8 mi). 7% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 114 acres are parks and preserves, 7.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 17% of U.S. towns · #130 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
120 acres · of 62.3 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
114 ac
7.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
7%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Soldier Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Soldier Township is ahead of 17% of U.S. towns, #130 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Soldier Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land7.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (114 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home7% of residents within a half mile of a park · KS 76% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 17%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 14%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Soldier Township’s under 1% is ahead of 21% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Soldier Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. 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 Iliff Commons, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shawnee North Community Park
Park
88 acres1.8 mi of trail
Shawnee North Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Who protects it
120 conserved acres
under 1% of Soldier Township’s land. Who manages Soldier Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County85 ac
Other state land35 ac
Local Park · 85 acState Conservation Area · 35 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee North Community Park Local Park | County | 85 | Open |
| Karlyle Woods State Conservation Area | Other state land | 35 | Restricted |
Things to do
4 places to go in Soldier Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Soldier Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.2 miUnpaved · 6.2 mi
Shawnee North Nature Trail1.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
TBW 24 - Lyman/Silver Lake BikewayBike route
1.5 miCourts & fields
15Baseball
9Tennis
2Football
2Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Soldier 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 76 | 85 | 90 | 88 | 80 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Soldier Township →
Next door
Soldier Township and its neighbors
Soldier Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Topeka72 miSoldier Township11 miTecumseh Township8.7 miTopeka Township7.4 miMenoken Township4.1 miKaw Township3.5 miRock Creek Township0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 8 | 7% | C− |
| Topeka | 5% | 1.2 | 23 | 88% | A− |
| Menoken Township | 2% | 0.1 | 355 | 2% | C+ |
| Kaw Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 15% | D |
| Tecumseh Township | 1% | 0.3 | 37 | 25% | C+ |
| Topeka Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rock Creek Township | 8% | under 0.1 | 108 | 29% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Soldier Township
Where can I hike in Soldier Township?
The longest trail networks: Iliff Commons, 3.9 miles; Shawnee North Community Park, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Soldier Township is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Soldier Township’s trails?
Iliff Commons and Shawnee North Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Soldier Township?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths. Named routes: TBW 24 - Lyman/Silver Lake Bikeway.
Is there public land near Soldier Township?
21,243 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Soldier Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 114 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Soldier Township have?
Ahead of 17% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #130 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 Soldier 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 →