City Park
Park
1,214 acres17.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: George Bannister · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in New Orleans
29% of New Orleans’ land is conserved: 31,302 acres
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: City Park (17.6 mi), Audubon Park (4.8 mi), Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2.8 mi). 83 miles of mapped trail cross New Orleans, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #2 of 162 in Louisiana. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
31,302 acres · of 169.6 sq mi of land
Trails
83 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,592 ac
9.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
218 mi
109 mi lanes · 44 mi paths
Highest peak
43 ft
Laborde Mountain
Lakes & rivers
33
5 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is New Orleans?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Orleans have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Orleans is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #2 of 162 in Louisiana. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Orleans’ overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical LA town 1% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (83 mi) · LA 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land9.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,592 acres) · LA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · LA 53% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Louisiana towns of 2,500+ (162)#2 of 162
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, New Orleans ranks #189 on Outdoors.
Few Louisiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so New Orleans’ 29% is ahead of 99% of Louisiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% of them.
Water is more than half of New Orleans’ area (180 of 350 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
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 City Park, with 17.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
26,844 acres2.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Joe W. Brown Park
Park
83 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lake Vista Park (historical)
Park
23 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Audubon Louisiana Nature Center
Managed by Audubon Nature Institute
79 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 76 parks & preserves
City Park1,214 acres · 17.6 mi of trail
DirectionsAudubon Park160 acres · 4.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge26,844 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsJoe W. Brown Park83 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLouis Armstrong Park31 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsLake Vista Park (historical)23 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsAudubon Louisiana Nature Center79 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Audubon Nature Institute
DirectionsPontchartrain Park178 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsFoliage Park11 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBreeze Park9 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMorris F.X. Jeff Park50 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWest End Park13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Duncan Plaza7 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsAudubon Riverview Park47 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFloral Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMarsalis Harmony Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · New Orleans Department of Parks & Parkways
DirectionsBrechtel Park128 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
New Basin Canal Park54 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Woldenberg Riverfront Park20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Square2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Bodenger Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
St Roch Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAbstract Beauty Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Ozone Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreen Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAnnunciation Square2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsZephyr Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLatrobe Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBritish Plaza2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCrescent Park18 acres
DirectionsFort Pike State Historic Site14 acres
Tourmaline Park13 acres
Fort Macomb State Historic Site7 acres
Breakwater Park7 acres
Fleur De Lis Park7 acres
Harlequin Park7 acres
Norman Playground5 acres
DirectionsColiseum Square5 acres
DirectionsHarrell Park5 acres
A. L. Davis Playground5 acres
Cut-Off Playground4 acres
Kenilworth Park4 acres
Harris Playground4 acres
DirectionsdeLassus Fitness Area4 acres
DirectionsPratt Park4 acres
Taylor Park4 acres
DirectionsBoettner Park4 acres
DirectionsJackson Square4 acres
DirectionsHardin Playground4 acres
Pradat Playground4 acres
Clay Square4 acres
Danneel Playground4 acres
Donnelly Playground4 acres
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve2 acres · National Park Service
DirectionsEaston Park2 acres
Comiskey Park2 acres
Lafayette Square2 acres
DirectionsRoehm Park2 acres
Boreas Park2 acres
Gatto Park2 acres
Mirabeau Park2 acres
Edith Sampson Playground2 acres
Tiara Park2 acres
Frederick Square2 acres
Filmore Park2 acres
DirectionsĐền Thờ Quốc Tổ Hùng Vương2 acres
Mickey Markey Playground2 acres
DirectionsMississippi River Heritage Park2 acres
DirectionsSamuel Square Playground Park2 acres
Harmony Circle2 acres
DirectionsMcDonogh Memorial Park2 acres
St. Mary's Park2 acres
DirectionsMound Park2 acres
DirectionsAmelia Park2 acres · City of New Orleans
DirectionsParkerson Place2 acres
DirectionsNew Place de France2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
31,302 conserved acres
29% of New Orleans’ land. Water is left out: New Orleans has 169.6 square miles of land and 180.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages New Orleans’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service52,602 ac
Private owners1,342 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,036 ac
Town or city962 ac
State fish & wildlife178 ac
State parks88 ac
State natural resources70 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 52,602 acLocal Park · 3,177 acState Conservation Area · 178 acLocal Recreation Area · 128 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 94 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 166 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 27,574 | Restricted |
| Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 25,029 | Restricted |
| New Orleans City Park Local Park | Private owners | 1,340 | Open |
| Audubon Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 312 | Open |
| Lakeshore Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 176 | Open |
| Pontchartrain Park & Bartholomew Gc Local Park | Town or city | 169 | Open |
| Joe Brown Park Local Park | Town or city | 164 | Open |
| Brechtel Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 131 | Open |
| Bayou Saint John State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 121 | Restricted |
| Brechtel Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 99 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
114 places to go in New Orleans
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in New Orleans
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in New Orleans
Playgrounds in New Orleans
Alhambra Street Playground
DirectionsDesmare Playground
DirectionsEvans Playground
DirectionsFox Playground
DirectionsFreenotes Harmony ParkIn Woldenberg Riverfront Park
DirectionsGatto Playground
DirectionsKingswood Playground
DirectionsLyons Park
Directions5 more playgrounds
Marsalis Harmony Park PlaygroundIn Marsalis Harmony Park
DirectionsOlive A. Stallings Playground
DirectionsSaint James Playground
DirectionsSir Cumference PlaygroundIn City Park
DirectionsStorylandIn City Park
Directions89 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in New Orleans
City Bark Dog ParkFee · In City Park
DirectionsThe Dog House
DirectionsBoat launches in New Orleans
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in New Orleans
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in New Orleans
Laborde Mountain43 ft elevation · In City Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in New Orleans
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in New Orleans
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 33 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.4 miHorses · 1.3 miUnpaved · 9.5 mi
Esplanade Ave. Path1.2 mi
Floral Park0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
17th Street CanalBayou Metairie;Big LakelakeBayou MichoudlakeBlack Bayou LagoonBlind LagoonBrechtel Park LakeCharley PondChico LagoonGannon CanalGoose PondHospital PassJazz LakeLagoon Number 2lakeLake BarringtonLake BullardLake CarmelLake KenilworthLake MichoudlakeLake Saint CatherineLittle LakelakeLondon Avenue CanalOrleans Avenue CanalPopp FountainSawmill PassSpring LakeWestlakeWillow LakeBayou BienvenueBayou Saint JohnBayou St JohnCutoff BayouRigoletsThe Rigolets
Biking & sports
218 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
109 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
44 mi
off-road bike paths
65 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
176Tennis
60Basketball
46Baseball
16Golf
12Soccer
11Football
7Beach volleyball
3Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →192 places on the National Register, 26 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 67 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
180 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Orleans: 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 | 71 | 77 | 84 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 87 | 80 | 70 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 5.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 6.4 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.8 |
October is the driest month (3.7 in) and August the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 7.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in New Orleans →
Next door
New Orleans and its neighbors
New Orleans has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
New Orleans83 miMetairie16 miPoydras2.4 miChalmette2.1 miViolet1.4 miMarrero0.9 miTerrytown0.3 miGretna0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 29% | 0.5 | 10 | 93% | A− |
| Gretna | 2% | under 0.1 | 8 | 98% | C+ |
| Marrero | 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 80% | C |
| Terrytown | 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 72% | C− |
| Metairie | 3% | 0.7 | 3 | 54% | C+ |
| Chalmette | 5% | 0.3 | 9 | 48% | B− |
| Violet | under 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 6% | D |
| Poydras | 7% | 0.6 | 148 | 12% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Orleans
Where can I hike in New Orleans?
The longest trail networks: City Park, 17.6 miles; Audubon Park, 4.8 miles; Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, 2.8 miles; Joe W. Brown Park, 2.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Orleans is conserved land?
29% 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 New Orleans’ trails?
City Park and Audubon Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in New Orleans?
218 miles of bike routes are on the map: 109 of painted or protected lanes, 44 of off-road paths and 65 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near New Orleans?
7,398 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Orleans or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,621 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does New Orleans have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 New Orleans 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 →