Ridgeland has 933 acres of parks, 38 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Freedom Ridge Park (3.2 mi), Hite-Wolcott Park (1 mi), Friendship park (0.8 mi). 8% of Ridgeland’s land is conserved, about 1,353 acres. 5.9 miles of mapped trail cross Ridgeland, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #7 of 101 in Mississippi. What drives it
How much outdoors does Ridgeland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ridgeland is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #7 of 101 in Mississippi. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Mississippi towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Ridgeland’s 8% is ahead of 83% of Mississippi towns, while its trails per square mile lead 68% of them.
Water is 6% of Ridgeland’s area (2 of 28 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
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 Freedom Ridge Park, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Friendship park
All 7 parks & preserves
1,353 conserved acres
8% of Ridgeland’s land. Water is left out: Ridgeland has 26.3 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ridgeland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 161 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natchez Trace Parkway Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 977 | Restricted |
| Freedon Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Mississippi 16th Section Public School Trust Lands State Resource Management Area | State land board | 53 | Open |
| Old Trace Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Wolcott Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Friendship Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
9 places to go in Ridgeland
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.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
4 lakes & rivers
23 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
May is the best month for walking in Ridgeland
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 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 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 Ridgeland →
Ridgeland and its neighbors
Ridgeland has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Ridgeland
Where can I hike in Ridgeland?
The longest trail networks: Freedom Ridge Park, 3.2 miles; Hite-Wolcott Park, 1 miles; Friendship park, 0.8 miles; Natchez Trace Trail, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ridgeland is conserved land?
8% 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 Ridgeland’s trails?
Freedom Ridge Park and Hite-Wolcott Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ridgeland?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of painted or protected lanes, 16 of off-road paths and 2.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ridgeland?
3,624 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ridgeland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 933 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ridgeland have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Ridgeland 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 →