Devou Park
Managed by City of Covington
617 acres13.5 mi of trail
Bates-Coombs LoopSleepy HollowNew DimensionsThree Bridges+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: EEJCC · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Covington
Covington has 20 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 10% of Covington’s land is conserved, about 841 acres. The biggest trail networks: Devou Park (13.5 mi), Pioneer Park (0.9 mi), Bill Cappel Sports Complex (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #3 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
841 acres · of 13.2 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
893 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.6 mi
2.2 mi lanes · 3.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Covington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Covington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Covington is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #3 of 142 in Kentucky. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Covington’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical KY town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · KY 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (893 acres) · KY 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · KY 59% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)#3 of 142
Few Kentucky towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Covington’s 10% is ahead of 94% of Kentucky towns, while its trails per square mile lead 99% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Devou Park, with 13.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pioneer Park
Park
51 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bill Cappel Sports Complex
Park
39 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
19th Street Hollow
Park
29 acres0.7 mi of trail
Licking River Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
Devou Park617 acres · 13.5 mi of trail · City of Covington
DirectionsPioneer Park51 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Bill Cappel Sports Complex39 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Directions19th Street Hollow29 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Goebel Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorge Steinford Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKen Shields Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsB. F. Howard Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPride Park17 acres · City of Taylor Mill
DirectionsRosedale Park11 acres
DirectionsMeinken Park8 acres
Randolph Park6 acres · City of Covington
DirectionsAustinburg Neighborhood Park3 acres
Senator Gus Sheehan Playground2 acres · City of Covington
DirectionsGeorge Rogers Clark Park1 acres · City of Covington
DirectionsWho protects it
841 conserved acres
10% of Covington’s land. Who manages Covington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city782 ac
County46 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits19 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government7 ac
Other state land2 ac
Local Park · 768 acLocal Recreation Area · 68 acPrivate Conservation · 19 acState Conservation Area · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devou Park Local Park | Town or city | 593 | Open |
| Bill Cappel Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | County | 46 | Open |
| Pride Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Eva G. Farris Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| 19Th St Hollow Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Fowler Ridge Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Closed |
| Rosedale Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Geobel Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Meinken Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
61 places to go in Covington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Covington
54 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Covington
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Covington
Devou Memorial OverlookIn Devou Park
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Covington
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
23 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.0 miUnpaved · 12.2 mi
Bates-Coombs Loop1.9 mi
Licking River Greenway1.6 mi
Sleepy Hollow1.0 mi
New Dimensions1.0 mi
Three Bridges0.9 mi
Full Monty0.9 mi
Incinerator0.8 mi
Back Bowl0.7 mi
Train Surfer0.7 mi
John Volz Nature Trail0.6 mi
13 more trails
Josh Brenneman Memorial Trail
0.6 miBenny Vastine Nature Trail
0.5 miOld Montague Trail
0.5 miEastbound and Down
0.4 miLinden Grove Cemetery
0.3 miSmoke Coaster
0.3 miTrail Devou-tion
0.3 miGoat Path
0.3 miGnarnia
0.2 miRiver's Breeze Connector
0.2 miDevil's Backbone
0.1 miPig's tale
0.1 miBattery Bates Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Licking River GreenwayBike route
1.6 miCourts & fields
22Basketball
16Baseball
8Soccer
6Tennis
5Pickleball
3Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →47 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 11 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Covington and Cincinnati Suspension BridgeNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1975
About itRiverside Drive Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1971
About itKenton County LibraryBuilding · listed 1972
About itCathedral Basilica of the AssumptionBuilding · listed 1973
About itMother Of God Roman Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1973
About itHearne HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itLicking Riverside Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itSeminary Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itMutter Gottes Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itOdd Fellows HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itTrinity Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About it35 more on the History page.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Covington
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) | 39 | 44 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Covington →
Next door
Covington and its neighbors
Covington has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Covington20 miErlanger2.5 miRyland Heights1.7 miFort Wright1.3 miLudlow1.2 miWilder0.8 miTaylor Mill0.7 miPark Hills0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covington | 10% | 1.5 | 22 | 93% | A |
| Taylor Mill | 2% | 0.1 | 11 | 27% | C |
| Fort Wright | 3% | 0.4 | 10 | 99% | B |
| Ludlow | 5% | 1.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| Park Hills | 6% | 0.8 | 9 | 99%+ | A− |
| Wilder | 2% | 0.2 | 6 | 50% | C |
| Erlanger | 2% | 0.3 | 4 | 89% | C+ |
| Ryland Heights | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Covington
Where can I hike in Covington?
The longest trail networks: Devou Park, 13.5 miles; Pioneer Park, 0.9 miles; Bill Cappel Sports Complex, 0.7 miles; 19th Street Hollow, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Covington is conserved land?
10% 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 Covington’s trails?
Devou Park and Pioneer Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Covington?
5.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of painted or protected lanes, 3.3 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Licking River Greenway.
Is there public land near Covington?
17,742 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Covington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 893 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Covington have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 Covington 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 →