City Park
Park
120 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: TheLionHasSeen · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lafayette
Lafayette has 27 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: City Park (3.8 mi), Girard Park (1.7 mi), Moncus Park (1.3 mi). 54% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Lafayette’s land is conserved, about 1,046 acres.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #18 of 162 in Louisiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
1,046 acres · of 56.4 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,425 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
54%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
12 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
4 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lafayette have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lafayette is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #18 of 162 in Louisiana. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lafayette’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical LA town 1% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · LA 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,425 acres) · LA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home54% of residents within a half mile of a park · LA 53% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 51%
LessMore
Louisiana towns of 2,500+ (162)Ahead of 89%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lafayette ranks #355 on Outdoors.
Few Louisiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Lafayette’s 3% is ahead of 88% of Louisiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 City Park, with 3.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Beaullieu Park
Managed by Lafayette Consolidated Government
34 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 37 parks & preserves
City Park120 acres · 3.8 mi of trail
Girard Park35 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMoncus Park91 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDebaillon Park32 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsAcadiana Park26 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaullieu Park34 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Lafayette Consolidated Government
DirectionsThomas Park17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsVermilionville32 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsJ. Otto Broussard Memorial Park40 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMouton Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Point2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsParc Sans Souci2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMoore Park420 acres
DirectionsGraham Brown Memorial Park48 acres · Lafayette Consolidated Government
DirectionsF E 'Pa' Davis Park44 acres · Lafayette Consolidated Government
DirectionsNeyland Park31 acres · Lafayette Consolidated Government
Henry Heymann Park27 acres
DirectionsBeaver Park17 acres
DirectionsDorsey-Donlon Park11 acres · Lafayette Consolidated Government
DirectionsCorporal Michael Middlebrook Park10 acres
Chargois Park9 acres · Lafayette Consilidated Government
DirectionsJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve8 acres · National Park Service
Acadian Cultural Center8 acres
DirectionsBroadmoor Park8 acres
DirectionsOaklawn Park6 acres
Elysian Fields Park5 acres
DirectionsJ W James Park4 acres
Heymann Park3 acres
DirectionsLil Woods Park2 acres · Lafayette Consolidated Government
Saint Anthony Park2 acres
DirectionsParc International2 acres
DirectionsSheep Park2 acres
Cypress Island Reserve1 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Cypress Lake Plaza1 acres
Parc Putnam1 acres
DirectionsSimcoe Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,046 conserved acres
3% of Lafayette’s land. Who manages Lafayette’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,043 ac
National Park Service8 ac
State natural resources3 ac
Local Park · 1,043 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 8 acState Other or Unknown · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| I.R. "Bud" Chalmers Park Local Park | Town or city | 177 | Open |
| Moore Park Local Park | Town or city | 131 | Open |
| Acadiana Park Local Park | Town or city | 116 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 100 | Open |
| Lafayette Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 99 | Open |
| Beaver Park Local Park | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Graham Brown Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Southside Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Debaillon Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Girard Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Lafayette
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lafayette
23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lafayette
3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Lafayette
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Lafayette
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Lafayette
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.7 mi
Moonseed Loop2.2 mi
Vermillion Ridge0.4 mi
Palmetto Loop0.3 mi
Bobcat Path0.3 mi
Black Bear Run0.3 mi
Nature Station Entrance Trail0.3 mi
Live Oak Loop0.2 mi
Crawfish Cut0.2 mi
Barred Owl Loop0.2 mi
Sapsucker Ridge0.2 mi
2 more trails
Iris Circle
0.1 miFern Circle
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
4.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
112Tennis
37Baseball
21Soccer
19Basketball
10Football
9Pickleball
3Multi-sport
2Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →28 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Old Lafayette City HallBuilding · listed 1975
About itAlexandre Mouton HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itCharles H. Mouton HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itHoly Rosary InstituteBuilding · listed 1980
About itGordon HotelBuilding · listed 1982
About itHope Lodge #145Building · listed 1983
About itVermilion InnBuilding · listed 1983
About itElroseBuilding · listed 1984
About itLafayette Hardware StoreBuilding · listed 1984
About itDaigle HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itJ. Arthur Roy HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itLafayette Elementary SchoolBuilding · listed 1984
About it16 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lafayette: April and May
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) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 62 | 66 | 73 | 79 | 85 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 89 | 81 | 71 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 5.9 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 |
March is the driest month (3.9 in) and August the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 6.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lafayette →
Next door
Lafayette and its neighbors
Lafayette has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Lafayette
Where can I hike in Lafayette?
The longest trail networks: City Park, 3.8 miles; Girard Park, 1.7 miles; Moncus Park, 1.3 miles; Debaillon Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lafayette is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Louisiana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lafayette’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Moncus Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lafayette?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes, 3.7 of off-road paths and 4.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lafayette?
3,653 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lafayette or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,425 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lafayette have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 of 162 in Louisiana. 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 Lafayette 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 →