Cape Girardeau County Park North
Managed by Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
162 acres2.1 mi of trail
Paw Paw ValleySinkhole BottomTulip Poplar HillWood Duck Swamp+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Drowzy at English Wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cape Girardeau
Cape Girardeau has 24 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Cape Girardeau County Park North (2.1 mi), Osage Park (1.5 mi), Capaha Park (1 mi). 948 acres are parks and preserves, 24 per 1,000 residents. 80% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #31 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
908 acres · of 29.3 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
948 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
12 mi lanes · 6.6 mi paths
Highest peak
466 ft
Mount Tabor
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Cape Girardeau?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cape Girardeau have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cape Girardeau is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #31 of 247 in Missouri. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cape Girardeau’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (948 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home80% of residents within a half mile of a park · MO 74% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 88%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Cape Girardeau’s 5% is ahead of 83% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% of them.
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 Cape Girardeau County Park North, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Osage Park
Managed by City of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
51 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Riverfront Park
Park
15 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cape Girardeau County Park South
Managed by Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
57 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Cape Woods Conservation Area
Managed by Missouri Department of Conservation
36 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Shawnee Park
Park
108 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 25 parks & preserves
Cape Girardeau County Park North162 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Osage Park51 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
DirectionsCapaha Park38 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverfront Park15 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCape Girardeau County Park South57 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Cape Woods Conservation Area36 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Missouri Department of Conservation
DirectionsShawnee Park108 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsArena Park113 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
DirectionsCourthouse Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMurtaugh Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRed Star Access Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTwin Trees Park67 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park52 acres
Cape Rock Park21 acres
Missouri Park7 acres
Dennis Scivally Park6 acres
Washington Park5 acres
Fort D4 acres · Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation
DirectionsIndian Park3 acres
DirectionsRanney Park2 acres
Choctaw Park2 acres
Klaus Park1 acres · Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Rockwood Park1 acres
DirectionsDogtown Dog Park1 acres
Groves Park1 acres
Who protects it
908 conserved acres
5% of Cape Girardeau’s land. Who manages Cape Girardeau’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city433 ac
County218 ac
Other state land102 ac
Joint95 ac
Not recorded59 ac
Local Conservation Area · 330 acLocal Park · 276 acLocal Recreation Area · 222 acState Conservation Area · 48 acLocal Other or Unknown · 18 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mdc Nature Center/ North County Local Conservation Area | County | 158 | Open |
| Shawnee Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 126 | Open |
| Arena Local Recreation Area | Joint | 95 | Open |
| Springdale Farm Local Conservation Area | Other state land | 94 | Open |
| Twin Trees Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| South County Local Park | County | 58 | Open |
| Kiwanis Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Osage Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Cape Woods Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 40 | Restricted |
| Capaha Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Cape Girardeau
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cape Girardeau
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Cape Girardeau
Red Star AccessIn Red Star Access Park
DirectionsScenic views in Cape Girardeau
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Cape Girardeau
Mount Tabor466 ft elevation
DirectionsCape Rock417 ft elevation · In Cape Rock Park
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.3 mi
Paw Paw Valley0.4 mi
Sinkhole Bottom0.4 mi
Tulip Poplar Hill0.3 mi
Wood Duck Swamp0.2 mi
Klaus Park Trail0.1 mi
Cotton Wood Crossing0.1 mi
Lakes & 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
6.6 mi
off-road bike paths
1.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
36Baseball
28Tennis
18Soccer
16Pickleball
4Football
4Beach volleyball
4Basketball
2Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →45 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Glenn HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itOliver-Leming HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itSt. Vincent De Paul Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itThilenius, Col, George C., HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itJames Reynolds HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itHanover Lutheran ChurchBuilding · listed 1987
About itGeorge Boardman Clark HouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itKlostermann BlockBuilding · listed 1994
About itHouse at 323 Themis StreetBuilding · listed 1997
About itAugust and Amalia Shivelbine HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itFrederick W. and Mary Karau Pott HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itRobert Felix and Elma Taylor Wichterich HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About it33 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Cape Girardeau
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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 48 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 82 | 71 | 57 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
August is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.3 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Cape Girardeau →
Next door
Cape Girardeau and its neighbors
Cape Girardeau has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau | 5% | 0.8 | 24 | 80% | A− |
| Jackson | 2% | 1.9 | 11 | 47% | B |
| Scott City | 2% | 0.2 | 13 | 66% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cape Girardeau
Where can I hike in Cape Girardeau?
The longest trail networks: Cape Girardeau County Park North, 2.1 miles; Osage Park, 1.5 miles; Capaha Park, 1 miles; Riverfront Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cape Girardeau is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Missouri town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Cape Girardeau’s trails?
Cape Girardeau County Park North and Osage Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cape Girardeau?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes, 6.6 of off-road paths and 1.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Cape Girardeau?
24,885 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cape Girardeau or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 948 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cape Girardeau have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Cape Girardeau 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 →