Photo: Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 3.0Tupelo has 33 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Ballard park (5.8 mi), Gumtree Park (1 mi), Theron Nichols Park (0.5 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Tupelo’s land is conserved, about 1,650 acres.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #19 of 101 in Mississippi. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Tupelo?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Tupelo have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tupelo is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #19 of 101 in Mississippi. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Few Mississippi towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Tupelo’s 4% is ahead of 63% of Mississippi towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% 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 Ballard park, with 5.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gumtree Park
All 9 parks & preserves
1,650 conserved acres
4% of Tupelo’s land. Who manages Tupelo’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 175 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 | 1,161 | Restricted |
| Ballard Park Local Park | Town or city | 97 | Open |
| Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery Federal Other or Unknown | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 61 | Restricted |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Eastwood Softball Complex Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Theron Nichols Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Rob Leake Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Gumtree Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Elvis Presley Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Hancock Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
22 places to go in Tupelo
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
6 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
2.2 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.
20 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.
8 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Tupelo: April and May
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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 57 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 88 | 91 | 91 | 86 | 75 | 64 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 5.8 |
September is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Tupelo →
Tupelo and its neighbors
Tupelo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tupelo | 4% | 0.5 | 12 | 46% | B− |
| Saltillo | 3% | 0.1 | 12 | 23% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tupelo
Where can I hike in Tupelo?
The longest trail networks: Ballard park, 5.8 miles; Gumtree Park, 1 miles; Theron Nichols Park, 0.5 miles; Rob Leake City Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tupelo 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 Tupelo’s trails?
Ballard park and Gumtree Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tupelo?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Tupelo?
3,212 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tupelo or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 444 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Tupelo have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Tupelo 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 →