Syracuse Sand Dunes Park
Nature preserve
1,724 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Syracuse
7% of Syracuse’s land is conserved: 174 acres
The biggest trail networks: Syracuse Sand Dunes Park (0.9 mi). 80% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7 acres are parks and preserves, 3.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
174 acres · of 4.1 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
7 ac
3.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Syracuse have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Syracuse is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Syracuse’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land3.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13CParks 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 52%
LessMore
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Syracuse’s 7% is ahead of 91% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% 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 Syracuse Sand Dunes Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
John Armstrong Park
Park
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
174 conserved acres
7% of Syracuse’s land. Who manages Syracuse’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits348 ac
Conservation Easement · 348 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 174 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
Things to do
1 places to go in Syracuse
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Syracuse
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
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
9Tracks
2Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Northup TheaterBuilding · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Syracuse: April and May
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 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 50 | 60 | 69 | 78 | 89 | 93 | 91 | 84 | 71 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
January is the driest month (0.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 3.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Syracuse →
Questions about parks and trails in Syracuse
Where can I hike in Syracuse?
The longest trail networks: Syracuse Sand Dunes Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Syracuse is conserved land?
7% 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 Syracuse’s trails?
Syracuse Sand Dunes Park and John Armstrong Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Syracuse?
430 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Syracuse or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Syracuse have?
Ahead of 52% 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 Syracuse 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 →