98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in East Helena
2.9 miles of mapped trail cross East Helena, 0.7 per square mile of land. 24 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents. 3% of East Helena’s land is conserved, about 78 acres.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is East Helena?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does East Helena have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Helena is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so East Helena’s 3% is ahead of 17% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% 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.
78 conserved acres
3% of East Helena’s land. Who manages East Helena’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 3 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 77 | Unknown |
| Kennedy Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Main Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 places to go in East Helena
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 named trails
0.0 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 best walking months in East Helena: May to September
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) | 9.0 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 48 | 56 | 66 | 74 | 85 | 84 | 73 | 58 | 43 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
January is the driest month (0.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 2.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in East Helena →
East Helena and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Helena | 3% | 0.7 | 14 | 98% | B+ |
| Helena Valley Southeast | 7% | 0.4 | 111 | 51% | B+ |
| Helena | 24% | 4.3 | 67 | 99% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Helena
How much of East Helena is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 10% for a Montana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on East Helena’s trails?
Kennedy Park and Main Street Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near East Helena?
69,380 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Helena or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 24 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does East Helena have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 East Helena 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 →