Valley Center has 52 acres of parks, 6.0 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: McLaughlin Park (0.5 mi). 0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Valley Center, 0.1 per square mile of land. 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #112 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
How much outdoors does Valley Center have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Valley Center is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #112 of 151 in Kansas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Valley Center’s 1% is ahead of 31% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 28% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is McLaughlin Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wetland Park
Lions Park
Ridgefield Park
48 conserved acres
1% of Valley Center’s land. Who manages Valley Center’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mclaughlin Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Wetland Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Arrowhead Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Valley Center
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
April is the best month for walking in Valley Center
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 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 49 | 59 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 92 | 91 | 83 | 71 | 57 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Valley Center →
Valley Center and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Center | 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 76% | C |
| Park City | 1% | 0.1 | 8 | 87% | C+ |
| Kechi Township | 1% | 0.2 | 14 | 87% | B− |
| Wichita | 4% | 0.6 | 13 | 70% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Valley Center
Where can I hike in Valley Center?
The longest trail networks: McLaughlin Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Valley Center is conserved land?
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 Valley Center’s trails?
McLaughlin Park and Wetland Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Valley Center?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Valley Center?
3,602 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Valley Center or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 52 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Valley Center have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #112 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 Valley Center neighbors.
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 →