Willard has 63 acres of parks, 9.8 for every 1,000 residents
41% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 18% of U.S. towns · #216 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
How much outdoors does Willard have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Willard is ahead of 18% of U.S. towns, #216 of 247 in Missouri. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; park acres per resident come closest.
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Willard’s 1% is ahead of 26% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 6% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
39 conserved acres
1% of Willard’s land. Who manages Willard’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willard Recreation Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Jackson Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
1 places to go in Willard
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The walking year in Willard
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) | 44 | 49 | 58 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 70 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Willard →
Willard and its neighbors
Willard has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willard | 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 41% | C− |
| Springfield | 2% | 0.4 | 9 | 75% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Willard
How much of Willard 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 Willard’s trails?
Miller Farm Park and Willard Sports Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Willard?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Willard?
4,765 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Willard or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 63 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Willard have?
Ahead of 18% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #216 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 Willard neighbors.
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 →