Photo: FloNight (Sydney Poore) and Russell Poore · CC BY-SA 4.0Richmond has 8.0 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Camp Catalpa (1.3 mi), EKU Cross Country Trail (0.9 mi), EKU Cemetery Park (0.6 mi). 2% of Richmond’s land is conserved, about 251 acres. 348 acres are parks and preserves, 9.4 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #64 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Richmond?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Richmond have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Richmond is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #64 of 142 in Kentucky. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Few Kentucky towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Richmond’s 2% is ahead of 55% of Kentucky towns, while its trails per square mile lead 61% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Camp Catalpa, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
EKU Cross Country Trail
Irvine McDowell City Park
All 11 parks & preserves
251 conserved acres
2% of Richmond’s land. Who manages Richmond’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Reba Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 203 | Open |
| Catalpa Camp Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Irvine Mcdowell Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| E.C. Million Memorial Park Local Park | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Bluegrass Army Depot Military Land | Other state land | 3 | Closed |
| Betty Miller Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Millstone Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Dilliham Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
17 places to go in Richmond
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 dog parks without a name on the map.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
0.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
36 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.
24 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Richmond: April 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 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
November is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Richmond →
Questions about parks and trails in Richmond
Where can I hike in Richmond?
The longest trail networks: Camp Catalpa, 1.3 miles; EKU Cross Country Trail, 0.9 miles; EKU Cemetery Park, 0.6 miles; Irvine McDowell City Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Richmond is conserved land?
2% 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 Richmond’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at EKU Cross Country Trail (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Richmond?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Richmond?
4,719 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Richmond or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 348 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Richmond have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #64 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 Richmond neighbors.
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 →