MacLennan Park
Park
209 acres8.4 mi of trail
Kaw River Red TrailBlue TrailGreen TrailGreen Trail Alternate+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Srudisell · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Topeka
Topeka has 72 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: MacLennan Park (8.4 mi), Dornwood Park (5.5 mi), Gage Park (5.2 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2,856 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #11 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,800 acres · of 61.9 sq mi of land
Trails
72 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,856 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
83 mi
7.3 mi lanes · 45 mi paths
Highest peak
1,129 ft
Burnett Mound
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Topeka?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Topeka have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Topeka is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #11 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Topeka’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (72 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,856 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home88% 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 82%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 93%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Topeka ranks #175 on Outdoors.
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Topeka’s 5% is ahead of 81% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% 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 MacLennan Park, with 8.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dornwood Park
Managed by Shawnee County Parks an Recreation
130 acres5.5 mi of trail
Dornwood Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Skyline Park
Park
115 acres5.1 mi of trail
North Summit LoopSunrise LoopSunset LoopSouth Summit Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Kaw River State Park
Managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
85 acres4.7 mi of trail
Kaw River Red TrailYellow TrailBottom DwellerRoot Canal+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Warren Park
Park
92 acres2.4 mi of trail
Orville Rice Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kansas State Museum of History, Archives, and Library
Park
77 acres2.1 mi of trail
Kansas Historical Society Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kansa Science Education Park
Park
104 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 81 parks & preserves
MacLennan Park209 acres · 8.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDornwood Park130 acres · 5.5 mi of trail · Shawnee County Parks an Recreation
DirectionsGage Park171 acres · 5.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSkyline Park115 acres · 5.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKaw River State Park85 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
DirectionsWarren Park92 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKansas State Museum of History, Archives, and Library77 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKansa Science Education Park104 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
Felker Park70 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsClarion Woods Park64 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsGrant Bradbury Park60 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsOakland Billiard Park44 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park18 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsKansas River MacVicar Wildlife Area161 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
DirectionsRipley Park29 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGarfield Park21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside ATV Park103 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Big Shunga Park80 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCharles Curtis Greenway18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBrookfield Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Ward-Meade Park and Botanical Gardens4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsD.E. “Doc” and Nina H. Robinson Park25 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFamily Park24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Shawnee County Parks and Recreation
DirectionsBetty Phillips Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Willow Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsEastlawn Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Santa Fe Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChildrens Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hughes Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOakland Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Crestview Park76 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWashburn Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Gwendolyn Brooks Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCushinberry Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWells Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMcKinley Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Heartland Park499 acres
DirectionsHummer Sports Park61 acres · Topeka Public Schools
DirectionsHillcrest Park50 acres
Shuga Glenn Park22 acres
Freedom Valley Park21 acres
Blue Heron Bay & Park20 acres
Edgewater Parkway Park19 acres
Rice Park15 acres
Mathews Park15 acres
Major Palm Park13 acres
DirectionsEastborough Park12 acres
Shuga Parkway Park11 acres
Auburndale Park11 acres
Horne Park9 acres · Shawnee County Parks and Rec
DirectionsHillsdale Park6 acres
DirectionsOakwood Hills Park5 acres
Westboro Park5 acres
Edgewood Park5 acres
Collins Parkway4 acres
Romig Park4 acres
Lauren's Bay Park4 acres
Austin Park4 acres
Ward Parkway Park4 acres
Southboro Park3 acres
Sherwood Park3 acres
Oak Parkway3 acres
Seabrook Park3 acres
DirectionsBoswell Square Park3 acres
DirectionsMeadowood Park3 acres
Fairway Park3 acres · Shawnee County Parks and Rec
Veterans Park2 acres
DirectionsKeyway Park2 acres
Country Club Park2 acres
DirectionsClyde O. Bracken Park2 acres
DirectionsWoodall Park2 acres
Betty Dunn Park2 acres
Elmhurst Green Park2 acres
DirectionsNanas Park2 acres
DirectionsHolliday Park1 acres
DirectionsIndian Hills Park1 acres
Evergy Plaza1 acres
DirectionsPinecrest Park1 acres
DirectionsMedford Park1 acres
Croix Park1 acres
Westboro Park III1 acres
Who protects it
1,800 conserved acres
5% of Topeka’s land. Who manages Topeka’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,238 ac
Other state land309 ac
Town or city178 ac
State parks70 ac
National Park Service2 ac
Local Park · 1,055 acLocal Conservation Area · 318 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 215 acState Conservation Area · 95 acState Park · 70 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Crest State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 215 | Open |
| Gage Park Local Park | County | 156 | Open |
| Dornwood Park Local Park | County | 129 | Open |
| Skyline Park - Burnett'S Mound Local Conservation Area | County | 106 | Open |
| Warren Park State Conservation Area | Other state land | 95 | Open |
| Big Shunga Park Local Park | County | 79 | Open |
| Grant-Bradbury Park Local Conservation Area | County | 75 | Open |
| Kaw River State Park State Park | State parks | 70 | Open |
| Crestview Park Local Park | County | 69 | Open |
| Felker Park Local Park | County | 60 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
61 places to go in Topeka
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Topeka
Blasidel Family Aquatic CenterIn Gage Park
DirectionsBlasidel Family Aquatic CenterIn Gage Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Topeka
51 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Topeka
Hills Pet Nutrition Bark ParkIn Gage Park
DirectionsPeaks in Topeka
Burnett Mound1,129 ft elevation · In Skyline Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Topeka
Snyders CabinIn Gage Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Topeka
Deer Creek Valley RV Park
DirectionsLot 1In Heartland Park
DirectionsLot 2In Heartland Park
DirectionsLot 3In Heartland Park
DirectionsLot 4In Heartland Park
DirectionsTrails & water
24 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 33.0 miUnpaved · 37.6 mi
Dornwood Loop4.5 mi
Kaw River Red Trail2.9 mi
Orville Rice Nature Trail1.7 mi
Blue Trail1.6 mi
North Summit Loop1.4 mi
Clarion Woods Trail1.4 mi
Yellow Trail1.3 mi
Green Trail1.1 mi
Sunrise Loop1.0 mi
Kansas Historical Society Nature Trail0.8 mi
14 more trails
Sunset Loop
0.7 miSouth Summit Loop
0.6 miField Trail
0.5 miGreen Trail Alternate
0.4 miBottom Dweller
0.4 miRoot Canal
0.4 miDouble Red Trail
0.3 miPump Track
0.3 miDirt Dauber (Downhill)
0.3 miHornet's Haymaker (Downhill)
0.2 miWasps Way Up (Uphill)
0.2 miConnector
0.2 miTower Trail
0.1 miBrookwood Spur
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
83 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
45 mi
off-road bike paths
31 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
TBW 24 - Lyman/Silver Lake BikewayBike route
9.6 miCourts & fields
87Tennis
33Baseball
21Soccer
18Pickleball
12Basketball
11Football
3Beach volleyball
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →93 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 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Sumner Elementary School and Monroe Elementary SchoolNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1987
About itSt. Joseph's Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1971
About itKansas State CapitolBuilding · listed 1971
About itPottawatomie Baptist Mission SiteBuilding · listed 1971
About itCharles Curtis HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itPottawatomie Baptist Mission Building and SiteSite · listed 1973
About itMenninger Clinic BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itThacher BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itMemorial BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itCrawford BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itColumbian BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itWard-Meade HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About it81 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Topeka
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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 90 | 89 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Topeka →
Next door
Topeka and its neighbors
Topeka has the 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 miMission Township3.4 miWilliamsport Township0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka | 5% | 1.2 | 23 | 88% | A− |
| Mission Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 20% | D |
| Topeka Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tecumseh Township | 1% | 0.3 | 37 | 25% | C+ |
| Soldier Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 8 | 7% | C− |
| Williamsport Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 21 | 70% | C |
| Menoken Township | 2% | 0.1 | 355 | 2% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Topeka
Where can I hike in Topeka?
The longest trail networks: MacLennan Park, 8.4 miles; Dornwood Park, 5.5 miles; Gage Park, 5.2 miles; Skyline Park, 5.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Topeka is conserved land?
5% 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 Topeka’s trails?
MacLennan Park and Dornwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Topeka?
83 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.3 of painted or protected lanes, 45 of off-road paths and 31 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: TBW 24 - Lyman/Silver Lake Bikeway.
Is there public land near Topeka?
9,762 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Topeka or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,856 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Topeka have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #11 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 Topeka 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 →