Tower Park
Park
93 acres5.9 mi of trail
Major Brown PathMotor Pool RowInfantry RowLee Battery Row+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fort Thomas
Fort Thomas has 12 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Tower Park (5.9 mi), Highland Hills Park (2.7 mi), Rossford Park (1 mi). 216 acres are parks and preserves, 13 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #11 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
109 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
216 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Fort Thomas?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Thomas have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Thomas is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #11 of 142 in Kentucky. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Thomas’ overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical KY town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · KY 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (216 acres) · KY 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home99% 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 82%
LessMore
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 93%
Few Kentucky towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Fort Thomas’ 3% is ahead of 75% 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 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 Tower Park, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
109 conserved acres
3% of Fort Thomas’ land. Who manages Fort Thomas’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city91 ac
Other state land18 ac
Local Park · 91 acState Conservation Area · 18 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Tower Park Stream Restoration Site State Conservation Area | Other state land | 18 | Restricted |
| Rossford Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
Things to do
24 places to go in Fort Thomas
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fort Thomas
20 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Fort Thomas
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Fort Thomas
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Fort Thomas
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.0 miUnpaved · 5.3 mi
Tree Trail0.8 mi
Major Brown Path0.6 mi
Motor Pool Row0.3 mi
Infantry Row0.3 mi
Lee Battery Row0.3 mi
Battle Row0.3 mi
Twin Wells0.2 mi
Major Bigstaff Path0.2 mi
Cannon Mount Row0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Basketball
7Tennis
7Baseball
6Soccer
2Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 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.
U.S. Army Fort Thomas Mess HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itFort Thomas Military Reservation DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itFort Thomas Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 2008
About itHarlan Hubbard StudioBuilding · listed 2016
About itFort Thomas Women’s ClubBuilding · listed 2023
About itHighland Country ClubDistrict · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Fort Thomas
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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 44 | 54 | 66 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fort Thomas →
Next door
Fort Thomas and its neighbors
Fort Thomas has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Thomas | 3% | 2.1 | 13 | 99% | A− |
| Newport | 3% | 0.5 | 6 | 99% | B |
| Dayton | 10% | 1.2 | 18 | 99%+ | A |
| Southgate | 5% | 5.5 | 8 | 71% | B+ |
| Highland Heights | 2% | 0.7 | 6 | 89% | B |
| Bellevue | 1% | 0.6 | 3 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Thomas
Where can I hike in Fort Thomas?
The longest trail networks: Tower Park, 5.9 miles; Highland Hills Park, 2.7 miles; Rossford Park, 1 miles; Riggs Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Thomas 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 Fort Thomas’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Highland Hills Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Thomas?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Fort Thomas?
16,885 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Thomas or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 216 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fort Thomas have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #11 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 Fort Thomas 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 →