Krug Park
Park
165 acres8.8 mi of trail
Krug Park TrailKrug Access TrailConnector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in St. Joseph
St. Joseph has 41 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Krug Park (8.8 mi), River Bluff Trails Park (7.1 mi), Corby Grove (6 mi). 1,625 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents. 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #37 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,191 acres · of 44.0 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,625 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
31 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 29 mi paths
Highest peak
1,060 ft
King Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is St. Joseph?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Joseph have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Joseph is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #37 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 St. Joseph’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,625 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 75%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 85%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so St. Joseph’s 4% is ahead of 77% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% 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 Krug Park, with 8.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
River Bluff Trails Park
Managed by City of St. Joseph
230 acres7.1 mi of trail
Jeckyll & HydeComeback LoopGoatChimneys+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Corby Grove
Park
101 acres6 mi of trail
Corby SouthCorby NorthConnector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Northwest Parkway
Park
88 acres5 mi of trail
Girl Scout TrailBrownie Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Huston Wyeth Park
Park
40 acres2.2 mi of trail
You BetchaGreat WallWatch Your SixGoose+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Mark Youndahl Urban Conservation Area
Park
93 acres0.9 mi of trail
Mark Youngdahl Conservation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 35 parks & preserves
Krug Park165 acres · 8.8 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Bluff Trails Park230 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · City of St. Joseph
DirectionsCorby Grove101 acres · 6 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthwest Parkway88 acres · 5 mi of trail
DirectionsHuston Wyeth Park40 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHyde Park91 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMark Youndahl Urban Conservation Area93 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCivic Center Park9 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsSunbridge Hills Conservation Area10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Missouri Department of Conservation
Riverwalk96 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMitchell Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Patee Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Southwest Parkway216 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Smith Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of St. Joseph, Missouri
Felix Street Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCorby Parkway46 acres
DirectionsNortheast Parkway29 acres
DirectionsNorthside Complex25 acres
DirectionsNoyes Field25 acres
DirectionsBartlett Park24 acres
DirectionsHochman Park17 acres
DirectionsMaple Leaf Parkway15 acres
DirectionsDrake Park15 acres
DirectionsParkway A11 acres
DirectionsArrowhead Park5 acres
King Hill Drive4 acres
France Park4 acres
King Hill Overlook3 acres
Lewis Park2 acres
John Lucas Recreation Center2 acres
College Hill Park2 acres
DirectionsSeitz park1 acres
Gordon Park1 acres
DirectionsWestern Gateway1 acres
DirectionsPony Express Statue1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,191 conserved acres
4% of St. Joseph’s land. Who manages St. Joseph’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city931 ac
Private owners63 ac
Regional agency21 ac
Not recorded176 ac
Local Park · 815 acLocal Recreation Area · 121 acState Conservation Area · 115 acLocal Conservation Area · 73 acPrivate Conservation · 47 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Parkway Local Park | Town or city | 215 | Open |
| Krug Park Local Park | Town or city | 158 | Open |
| Corby Grove Local Park | Town or city | 100 | Open |
| Youngdahl (Mark) Urban Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 95 | Restricted |
| Hyde Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Northwest Parkway Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Sunbridge Hills Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 59 | Closed |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Riverside Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 40 | Open |
| Living History Museum Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
74 places to go in St. Joseph
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in St. Joseph
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in St. Joseph
Bartlett PlaygroundIn Bartlett Park
DirectionsMaple Leaf PlaygroundIn Maple Leaf Parkway
DirectionsMary ParkIn Parkway A
DirectionsMary ParkIn Parkway A
DirectionsRest Square Park
DirectionsRest Square Park
DirectionsSeitz ParkIn Seitz park
Directions58 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in St. Joseph
Corby Dog ParkIn Corby Grove
DirectionsCorby Dog Park - Small Dog AreaIn Corby Grove
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in St. Joseph
7 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in St. Joseph
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in St. Joseph
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Peaks in St. Joseph
King Hill1,060 ft elevation · In King Hill Overlook
DirectionsPicnic areas in St. Joseph
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 28.0 miUnpaved · 31.0 mi
Krug Park Trail6.9 mi
Girl Scout Trail3.8 mi
Corby South2.9 mi
Rushin Prairie Trail2.5 mi
Corby North2.2 mi
Jeckyll & Hyde1.2 mi
Brownie Trail1.2 mi
Comeback Loop1.0 mi
Mark Youngdahl Conservation Trail0.7 mi
Goat0.7 mi
15 more trails
Chimneys
0.6 miKrug Access Trail
0.6 miYou Betcha
0.6 miLee's Loop
0.5 miComeback
0.5 miGreat Wall
0.4 miWatch Your Six
0.4 miConnector
0.4 miTriple H
0.4 miGoose
0.3 miPony
0.3 miLow Rider
0.3 miHighrider Extension
0.2 mi229 East
0.2 miTop Gunnar
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
31 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
29 mi
off-road bike paths
Krug Park TrailBike route
6.9 miCourts & fields
32Baseball
20Basketball
20Golf
17Tennis
14Pickleball
10Soccer
9Football
6Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →58 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Pony Express StablesBuilding · listed 1970
About itBuchanan County Courthouse and JailBuilding · listed 1972
About itRobidoux RowBuilding · listed 1973
About itMaple GroveBuilding · listed 1974
About itMissouri Valley Trust Company Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itWholesale RowDistrict · listed 1977
About itBuchanan County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itGerman-American Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itHall Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itMissouri Theater and Missouri Theater BuildingBuilding · listed 1979
About itEdmond Jacques Eckel HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About it46 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in St. Joseph
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 42 | 54 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in St. Joseph →
Next door
St. Joseph and its neighbors
St. Joseph 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph | 4% | 0.9 | 23 | 77% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Joseph
Where can I hike in St. Joseph?
The longest trail networks: Krug Park, 8.8 miles; River Bluff Trails Park, 7.1 miles; Corby Grove, 6 miles; Northwest Parkway, 5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Joseph is conserved land?
4% 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 St. Joseph’s trails?
Krug Park and River Bluff Trails Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Joseph?
31 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes and 29 of off-road paths. Named routes: Krug Park Trail.
Is there public land near St. Joseph?
2,928 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Joseph or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,633 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does St. Joseph have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 St. Joseph 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 →