Photo: Justinsanders · Public domainMadison has 5.1 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Liberty Park (1.8 mi), Strawberry Patch Park (1 mi), Simmons Arboretum (0.6 mi). 113 acres are parks and preserves, 4.0 per 1,000 residents. 35% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns · #50 of 101 in Mississippi. What drives it
How much outdoors does Madison have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Madison is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #50 of 101 in Mississippi. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Few Mississippi towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Madison’s 4% is ahead of 68% of Mississippi towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% 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
The longest trail network is Liberty Park, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Strawberry Patch Park
Reunion Park
All 7 parks & preserves
712 conserved acres
4% of Madison’s land. Who manages Madison’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi 16th Section Public School Trust Lands State Resource Management Area | State land board | 638 | Open |
| Liberty Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Strawberry Patch Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Reunion Park Local Park | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Natchez Trace Parkway Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 6 | Restricted |
18 places to go in Madison
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
8 lakes & rivers
0.1 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.
7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
May is the best month for walking in Madison
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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 62 | 69 | 76 | 83 | 89 | 92 | 92 | 87 | 78 | 67 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 5.5 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 5.4 |
September is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.9 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Madison →
Madison and its neighbors
Madison 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 4% | 0.2 | 4 | 35% | C |
| Ridgeland | 8% | 0.2 | 38 | 57% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Madison
Where can I hike in Madison?
The longest trail networks: Liberty Park, 1.8 miles; Strawberry Patch Park, 1 miles; Simmons Arboretum, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Madison is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Mississippi town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Madison’s trails?
Liberty Park and Strawberry Patch Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Madison?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Madison?
2,606 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Madison or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 113 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Madison have?
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #50 of 101 in Mississippi. 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 Madison 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 →