The Charles and Betty Russel Park
Park
51 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Photo: Corey Graese · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ashland
Ashland has 157 acres of parks, 7.4 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: The Charles and Betty Russel Park (2.1 mi), Central Park (0.8 mi). 1% of Ashland’s land is conserved, about 102 acres. 64% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns · #75 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
102 acres · of 10.7 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
157 ac
7.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
64%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
679 ft
Gartrell Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Ashland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ashland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ashland is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns, #75 of 142 in Kentucky. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ashland’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical KY town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · KY 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land7.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (157 acres) · KY 8 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home64% of residents within a half mile of a park · KY 59% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 38%
LessMore
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 48%
Few Kentucky towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Ashland’s 1% is ahead of 47% of Kentucky towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C 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 The Charles and Betty Russel Park, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Central Park
Managed by City of Ashland
51 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Armco Steel Sports Park
Park
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
The Charles and Betty Russel Park51 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park51 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of Ashland
DirectionsArmco Steel Sports Park9 acres
Riverfront Park7 acres
DirectionsNew Park3 acres
Southside Park2 acres
Joseph P. Harris Park1 acres
Who protects it
102 conserved acres
1% of Ashland’s land. Who manages Ashland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city101 ac
County9 ac
Local Park · 87 acLocal Recreation Area · 23 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Oliverio Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Armco Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| AK Steel Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Ashland Riverfront Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Joseph P. Harris Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Dawson Pool Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Wendell Banks Southside Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Ashland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Ashland
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Ashland
Central Park PlaygroundIn Central Park
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ashland
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Peaks in Ashland
Gartrell Hill679 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ashland
Central Park Picnic AreaIn Central Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
14Pickleball
12Tennis
7Baseball
2Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →21 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
First Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1973
About itIndian Mounds in Central ParkSite · listed 1974
About itParamount TheatreBuilding · listed 1975
About itAlexander Bagby HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itAshland Coal and Iron Railroad StoreBuilding · listed 1979
About itBath Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itCrump and Field Grocery CompanyBuilding · listed 1979
About itCulbertson HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itLon Rogers HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itMartin Hilton HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itSt. James AME ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itTimothy Fields HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About it9 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ashland: April, June and August
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 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 47 | 56 | 69 | 77 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 57 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
November is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ashland →
Next door
Ashland and its neighbors
Ashland has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 1% | 0.3 | 7 | 64% | C+ |
| Catlettsburg | 1% | 0.9 | 8 | 82% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ashland
Where can I hike in Ashland?
The longest trail networks: The Charles and Betty Russel Park, 2.1 miles; Central Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ashland is conserved land?
1% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Kentucky town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ashland’s trails?
The Charles and Betty Russel Park and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ashland?
17,612 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ashland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 157 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ashland have?
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #75 of 142 in Kentucky. 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 Ashland 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 →