John James Audubon State Park
Park
294 acres3.8 mi of trail
Eagle Glen PetPawpaw Valley Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Henderson
Henderson has 14 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
1,003 acres are parks and preserves, 36 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: John James Audubon State Park (3.8 mi), John James Audubon Nature Preserve (3.2 mi), Newman Park (0.5 mi). 9% of Henderson’s land is conserved, about 944 acres.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #7 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
944 acres · of 16.9 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,003 ac
36 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
2.0 mi lanes · 1.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Henderson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Henderson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Henderson is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #7 of 142 in Kentucky. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Henderson’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical KY town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · KY 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land36 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,003 acres) · KY 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home74% 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 83%
LessMore
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 96%
Few Kentucky towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Henderson’s 9% is ahead of 92% of Kentucky towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
Water is 12% of Henderson’s area (2 of 19 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
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 John James Audubon State Park, with 3.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
John James Audubon Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
325 acres3.2 mi of trail
Wilderness LakeBackcountryDeer RidgeKentucky Coffeetree+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Henderson County 4H / Freedom Park
Park
20 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
John James Audubon State Park294 acres · 3.8 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn James Audubon Nature Preserve325 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNewman Park41 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHenderson County 4H / Freedom Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Atkinson Park79 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHenderson City Sports Complex58 acres
DirectionsCommunity Park14 acres
DirectionsRed Banks Park11 acres
DirectionsAudubon Mill Park7 acres · Audubon
DirectionsKimmel Park3 acres
Doc Hosbach Tennis Complex2 acres
DirectionsSunset Park2 acres
DirectionsAnthony Brooks Park1 acres
East End Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
944 conserved acres
9% of Henderson’s land. Water is left out: Henderson has 16.9 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Henderson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks634 ac
Joint329 ac
Town or city243 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits195 ac
State Park · 634 acState Conservation Area · 329 acLocal Park · 243 acConservation Easement · 130 acPrivate Conservation · 65 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| John James Audubon State Park State Park | State parks | 634 | Open |
| John James Audubon State Park State Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Joint | 329 | Open |
| Atkinson Park Local Park | Town or city | 108 | Open |
| Canoe Creek Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 65 | Open |
| Doc Hosbach Park Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Madison Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Red Banks Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Audubon Mill Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Henderson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Henderson
23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Henderson
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Henderson
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Henderson
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Henderson
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Henderson
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.4 mi
Backcountry1.3 mi
Wilderness Lake1.0 mi
Eagle Glen Pet0.9 mi
Cs-12300.4 mi
Deer Ridge0.3 mi
Pawpaw Valley Trail0.2 mi
Kentucky Coffeetree0.2 mi
Scenic View0.2 mi
Woodpecker0.2 mi
King Benson0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
1.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
28Tennis
20Baseball
6Soccer
6Pickleball
4Softball
3Basketball
3Football
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →22 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.
Barret HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itHenderson, Louisville and Nashville Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1980
About itJohn E. McCallister HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itAudubon, John James, State ParkDistrict · listed 1988
About itAlves Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itHenderson Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itKlee Funeral ParlorBuilding · listed 1989
About itEhlen, E. L., Livery and Sale StableBuilding · listed 1989
About itNorth Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itJohn O'Byrne HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itSouth Main and South Elm Streets Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About it10 more on the History page.
When to get out
June is the best month for walking in Henderson
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) | 42 | 46 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 81 | 70 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
August is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Henderson →
Next door
Henderson and its neighbors
Henderson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson | 9% | 0.8 | 36 | 74% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Henderson
Where can I hike in Henderson?
The longest trail networks: John James Audubon State Park, 3.8 miles; John James Audubon Nature Preserve, 3.2 miles; Newman Park, 0.5 miles; Henderson County 4H / Freedom Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Henderson is conserved land?
9% 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 Henderson’s trails?
John James Audubon State Park and John James Audubon Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Henderson?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of painted or protected lanes, 1.7 of off-road paths and 1.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Henderson?
10,447 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Henderson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,003 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Henderson have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Henderson 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 →