Little Osage Prairie Conservation Area
Managed by Missouri Department of Conservation
79 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Center Township
Center Township has 365 acres of parks, 39 for every 1,000 residents
5.7 miles of mapped trail cross Center Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 1% of Center Township’s land is conserved, about 320 acres. 68% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #122 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
320 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
5.7 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
365 ac
39 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Center Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Center Township is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #122 of 247 in Missouri. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Center Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land39 acres of park per 1,000 residents (365 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home68% 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 50%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 51%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Center Township’s 1% is ahead of 35% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 36% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fall Creek Park
Park
36 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Spring Street Park
Park
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Little Osage Prairie Conservation Area79 acres · Missouri Department of Conservation
DirectionsTwin Lakes Park74 acres
DirectionsFall Creek Park36 acres
Spring Street Park15 acres
Earp Park1 acres · City of Nevada
Who protects it
320 conserved acres
1% of Center Township’s land. Who manages Center Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city240 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits80 ac
Local Park · 121 acLocal Recreation Area · 119 acPrivate Conservation · 80 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 90 | Open |
| Osage Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Open |
| Davis Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Radio Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Champion Diamonds Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Spring Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Earp Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Center Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Center Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Center Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
13Baseball
11Tennis
2Football
1Softball
1Equestrian
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Center Township
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 | 48 | 58 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 90 | 89 | 81 | 70 | 57 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
January is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Center Township →
Next door
Center Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Moundville Township19 miWalker Township9.7 miDrywood Township8.3 miBadger Township8.0 miCenter Township5.7 miWashington Township4.6 miNevada3.4 miDeerfield Township3.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | 1% | 0.2 | 39 | 68% | B− |
| Washington Township | 5% | 0.1 | 45 | 48% | B− |
| Badger Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Deerfield Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Drywood Township | 6% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Moundville Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Nevada | 5% | 0.4 | 40 | 84% | B+ |
| Walker Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Center Township
How much of Center Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Center Township’s trails?
Little Osage Prairie Conservation Area and Twin Lakes Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Center Township?
745 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Center Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 365 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Center Township have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 Center Township 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 →