James Monroe Memorial Park
Park
72 acres2.4 mi of trail
Witte's End Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Plains
West Plains has 13 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: James Monroe Memorial Park (2.4 mi), Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds (1.4 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of West Plains’ land is conserved, about 148 acres.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #50 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
148 acres · of 13.3 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
217 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,102 ft
Hines Hill
What kind of outdoors town is West Plains?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Plains have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Plains is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #50 of 247 in Missouri. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Plains’ overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (217 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home85% 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 68%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 80%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so West Plains’ 2% is ahead of 41% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 91% 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 James Monroe Memorial Park, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds
Park
27 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Evans Sports Complex
Park
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
East Green Belt Walking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Don Warden Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
James Monroe Memorial Park72 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHeart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds27 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPeople's Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsEvans Sports Complex9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDon Warden Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Galloway Creek Nature Park41 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsButler Children's Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCarmichael Field7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGene Jones Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorgia White Walking Park4 acres
DirectionsLofton Park2 acres
DirectionsQuail Run Park1 acres
Lincoln Park1 acres
Kelly Park1 acres
DirectionsHeselton Park1 acres
Kiwanis Wayhaven Park1 acres
Who protects it
148 conserved acres
2% of West Plains’ land. Who manages West Plains’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city131 ac
Not recorded17 ac
Local Park · 114 acState Conservation Area · 17 acLocal Recreation Area · 17 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Park Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Ozark Regional Office State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 17 | Restricted |
| Evans Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Peoples Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| American Legion Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Don Warden Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Dogwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Georgia White Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Childrens Butler Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Gene Jones Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
50 places to go in West Plains
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in West Plains
43 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in West Plains
Tuk's PlaygroundIn Gene Jones Park
DirectionsPeaks in West Plains
Hines Hill1,102 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in West Plains
4 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in West Plains
JMB Disc Golf CourseIn James Monroe Memorial Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.8 mi
Witte's End Trail2.5 mi
East Green Belt Walking Trail0.3 mi
Galloway Creek Nature Park Walking Trail0.1 mi
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
27Golf
16Soccer
13Basketball
13Tennis
11Baseball
4Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
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.
Elledge Arcade BuildingsBuilding · listed 2001
About itW.J. and Ed Smith BuildingBuilding · listed 2001
About itWest Plains Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 2001
About itCourthouse Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003
About itMount Zion Lodge Masonic TempleBuilding · listed 2011
About itInternational Shoe Company BuildingBuilding · listed 2011
About itLincoln SchoolBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
June is the best month for walking in West Plains
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 | 14.4 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 45 | 50 | 59 | 69 | 77 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 70 | 58 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.4 |
January is the driest month (2.9 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 West Plains →
Questions about parks and trails in West Plains
Where can I hike in West Plains?
The longest trail networks: James Monroe Memorial Park, 2.4 miles; Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds, 1.4 miles; People's Park, 0.4 miles; Evans Sports Complex, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Plains 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 West Plains’ trails?
James Monroe Memorial Park and Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Plains?
24,408 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Plains or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 217 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West Plains have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #50 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 West Plains 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 →