Photo: TheLionHasSeen · CC BY-SA 4.0Monroe has 19 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Chenault Park (6.7 mi), Forsythe Park (2.3 mi), Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge (1.9 mi). 921 acres are parks and preserves, 20 per 1,000 residents. 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #5 of 162 in Louisiana. What drives it
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #5 of 162 in Louisiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
Few Louisiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Monroe’s 3% is ahead of 90% of Louisiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% of them.
Water is 11% of Monroe’s area (4 of 34 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Chenault Park, with 6.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forsythe Park
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Forsythe Point Recreation Area
Benoit Recreation Area
All 22 parks & preserves
617 conserved acres
3% of Monroe’s land. Water is left out: Monroe has 29.9 square miles of land and 3.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Monroe’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 200 | Restricted |
| Bernstein Park Local Park | Town or city | 127 | Open |
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 105 | Open |
| Forsythe Park Local Park | Town or city | 100 | Open |
| State Lands State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 47 | Unknown |
| Monroe Fish Hatchery/dist 2 Headquarters State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 40 | Restricted |
| Benoit Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Saul Adler Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 19 | Restricted |
| Robinson Place Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
20 places to go in Monroe
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
1 community garden without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
0.5 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.
23 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.
11 more on the History page.
May is the best month for walking in Monroe
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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 61 | 69 | 77 | 84 | 90 | 93 | 93 | 88 | 79 | 67 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 5.4 |
September is the driest month (3.4 in) and August the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 6.2 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Monroe →
Monroe and its neighbors
Monroe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 3% | 0.6 | 20 | 79% | B+ |
| West Monroe | 6% | 0.3 | 33 | 82% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Monroe
Where can I hike in Monroe?
The longest trail networks: Chenault Park, 6.7 miles; Forsythe Park, 2.3 miles; Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 1.9 miles; Forsythe Point Recreation Area, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monroe 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 Monroe’s trails?
Chenault Park and Forsythe Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Monroe?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Monroe?
1,772 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 921 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 Monroe 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 →