Spirit of '76 Park
Park
34 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon has 52 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
0.6 miles of mapped trail cross Mount Vernon, 0.1 per square mile of land. 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Mount Vernon’s land is conserved, about 49 acres.
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns · #143 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
49 acres · of 4.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.6 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
52 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mount Vernon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Vernon is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns, #143 of 247 in Missouri. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Vernon’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (52 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home77% 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 43%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 42%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Mount Vernon’s 2% is ahead of 48% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% 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 Spirit of '76 Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wynne Park
Park
3 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
King's Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Gibbs Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
49 conserved acres
2% of Mount Vernon’s land. Who manages Mount Vernon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city49 ac
Local Park · 49 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Of '76 Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Mt Vernon City Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Wynne Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Kings Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Gibbs Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Shafer Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Mount Vernon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mount Vernon
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Mount Vernon
17 fishing spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 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
6Tennis
4Baseball
3Soccer
2Football
1Basketball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Lawrence County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Mount Vernon
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 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 49 | 58 | 68 | 76 | 84 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 70 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.8 |
January is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 6.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mount Vernon →
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Vernon
Where can I hike in Mount Vernon?
The longest trail networks: Spirit of '76 Park, 0.4 miles; Wynne Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mount Vernon is conserved land?
2% 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 Mount Vernon’s trails?
Spirit of '76 Park and Wynne Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Mount Vernon?
492 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Vernon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 52 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mount Vernon have?
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #143 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 Mount Vernon 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 →