Hobson Grove Park
Park
229 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: OPMaster · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Bowling Green
Bowling Green has 43 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Hobson Grove Park (2.6 mi), Weldon Peete Park (2.2 mi), Preston S Miller Park (1.9 mi). 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Bowling Green’s land is conserved, about 761 acres.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #30 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
761 acres · of 42.0 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
887 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.2 mi
6.1 mi lanes · 3.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,709 ft
The WKU Hilltop
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bowling Green?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bowling Green have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bowling Green is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #30 of 142 in Kentucky. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bowling Green’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical KY town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · KY 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (887 acres) · KY 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home69% 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 63%
LessMore
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 79%
Few Kentucky towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Bowling Green’s 3% is ahead of 74% of Kentucky towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Hobson Grove Park, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Weldon Peete Park
Park
81 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lost River Cave& Valley
Park
37 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Spero Kereiakes Park
Park
48 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Chuck Crume Nature Park
Park
18 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 22 parks & preserves
Hobson Grove Park229 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
Weldon Peete Park81 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPreston S Miller Park58 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsLost River Cave& Valley37 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Spero Kereiakes Park48 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsChuck Crume Nature Park18 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Circus Square Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRoland Bland Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLovers Lane Soccer Complex72 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverWalk3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrossings Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · BGPR
Fountain Square Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsE. A. Diddle Memorial Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJames Hines Park25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
WKU Cherry Trees1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLampkin Park85 acres
H. P. Thomas Bark Park18 acres
Pedigo Park10 acres
Fort Webb Park6 acres
DirectionsReservoir Hill Park6 acres
DirectionsNature Park & Trail1 acres
DirectionsOgden Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
761 conserved acres
3% of Bowling Green’s land. Who manages Bowling Green’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city585 ac
County175 ac
Private owners2 ac
State conservation2 ac
Local Park · 760 acPrivate Conservation · 2 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobson Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| Lovers Lane Park Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Lost River Cave Valley Local Park | County | 71 | Open |
| Mitch Mcconnell Park Local Park | Town or city | 71 | Open |
| C. W. Lampkin Park Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Covington Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Preston Miller Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Spero Kereiakes Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Greenwood High School/Community Park Local Park | County | 35 | Open |
| Warren Central High School/Community Park Local Park | County | 24 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Bowling Green
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bowling Green
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Bowling Green
Weldon Peete Boat RampIn Weldon Peete Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Bowling Green
The WKU Hilltop1,709 ft elevation
DirectionsReservoir Hill554 ft elevation · In Reservoir Hill Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 mi
BG Greenway7.4 mi
Greenway3.2 mi
BG Greenways0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
50Tennis
27Baseball
26Soccer
22Basketball
9Tracks
7Football
7Softball
6Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →67 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bowling Green Flour MillBuilding
About itRiverviewBuilding · listed 1972
About itMaria Moore HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itIronwoodBuilding · listed 1973
About itSt. Joseph Roman Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1975
About itSamuel Murrell HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itWarren County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itUnderwood-Jones HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itRauscher HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itCecilia Memorial Christian ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itCherry HallBuilding · listed 1979
About itDowntown Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About it55 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Bowling Green
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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 51 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 89 | 83 | 72 | 60 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
August is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bowling Green →
Questions about parks and trails in Bowling Green
Where can I hike in Bowling Green?
The longest trail networks: Hobson Grove Park, 2.6 miles; Weldon Peete Park, 2.2 miles; Preston S Miller Park, 1.9 miles; Lost River Cave& Valley, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bowling Green is conserved land?
3% 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 Bowling Green’s trails?
Hobson Grove Park and Weldon Peete Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bowling Green?
9.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.1 of painted or protected lanes and 3.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bowling Green?
3,777 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bowling Green or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 887 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Bowling Green have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 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 Bowling Green 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 →