Charles Russell Park
Park
24 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Great Falls
8% of Great Falls’ land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Charles Russell Park (0.8 mi), Gibson Park (0.8 mi), Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest (0.7 mi). 8% of Great Falls’ land is conserved, about 1,225 acres. 13 miles of mapped trail cross Great Falls, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #19 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,225 acres · of 23.2 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
811 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Great Falls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Great Falls have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Great Falls is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #19 of 42 in Montana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Great Falls’ overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MT town 10% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MT 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (811 acres) · MT 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · MT 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Montana towns of 2,500+ (42)Ahead of 56%
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so Great Falls’ 8% is ahead of 41% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 44% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Charles Russell Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gibson Park
Park
21 acres0.8 mi of trail
Rivers Edge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
29 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Elk's Riverside Park
Park
50 acres0.4 mi of trail
Rivers Edge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Grande Vista Park
Park
18 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Heron Park
Park
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 59 parks & preserves
Charles Russell Park24 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Gibson Park21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsHelena-Lewis and Clark National Forest29 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsWarden Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWhittier Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsElk's Riverside Park50 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGrande Vista Park18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Heron Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
West Bank Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsClara Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHyland Heights Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Broadwater Bay Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChowen Springs Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Highland South Park42 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOddfellows Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRoosevelt Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bel View Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
West Hill Park26 acres
Riverside Little League Complex16 acres
Giant Springs State Park14 acres
DirectionsSkyline Park13 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park12 acres
DirectionsMeadowlark Park12 acres
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park11 acres
DirectionsWestside Viaduct Park10 acres
Montana Park10 acres
Sand Hills Park10 acres
DirectionsVerde Park9 acres
Dudley Anderson Park9 acres
DirectionsWest Side Kiwanis Park9 acres
DirectionsBroadwater Overlook Park8 acres
DirectionsKranz Park8 acres
DirectionsPinski Park8 acres
Kiwanis Park7 acres
DirectionsGarden Home Park6 acres
Riverview Park6 acres
DirectionsFox Hollow Park5 acres
Famly Living Park4 acres
DirectionsMadison Park4 acres
Graybill Park4 acres
Boston Heights Park4 acres
Morony Park4 acres
DirectionsCarter Park4 acres
DirectionsValley View Park3 acres
DirectionsParis Gibson Square3 acres
DirectionsBloomingdale Park3 acres
Skyline Heights Park3 acres
Rhodes Park3 acres
Sunrise Park3 acres
DirectionsSite and Sound Park3 acres
DirectionsTourist Park3 acres
DirectionsSunnyside Park3 acres
Countryside Village Park2 acres
Noah's Ark Park2 acres
Central Park2 acres
DirectionsHorizon Park2 acres
Mitchell-Tourist Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,225 conserved acres
8% of Great Falls’ land. Who manages Great Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government1,005 ac
Town or city531 ac
State fish & wildlife88 ac
Other state land68 ac
U.S. Forest Service29 ac
State parks19 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,005 acLocal Park · 417 acLocal Recreation Area · 115 acState Park · 107 acNot Designated · 68 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 48 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1,005 | Unknown |
| Giant Springs State Park State Park | State parks | 107 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 97 | Open |
| Highland South Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Sibel Soccer Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Montana University System Not Designated | Other state land | 36 | Unknown |
| Warden Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Montana Department of Transportation Not Designated | Other state land | 31 | Unknown |
| Lewis & Clark National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 29 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
69 places to go in Great Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Great Falls
Water Tower PoolFee · In Dudley Anderson Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Great Falls
MSDB Playground
DirectionsMemorial Park PlaygroundIn Memorial Park
DirectionsNoah's Ark Park PlaygroundIn Noah's Ark Park
DirectionsValley View PlaygroundIn Valley View Park
DirectionsWest Bank Park PlaygroundIn West Bank Park
Directions61 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Great Falls
Pacific Steel & Recycling Trailside Dog ParkIn Elk's Riverside Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Great Falls
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Great Falls
Steamboat Island Scenic Overlook
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Great Falls
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
West Great Falls Flood Control Levee1.3 mi
Rivers Edge Trail1.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
35Baseball
24Tennis
15Basketball
12Soccer
8Pickleball
6Football
2Disc golf
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →25 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Great Falls Central High SchoolBuilding · listed 1976
About itCascade County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itTimothy Edwards Collins MansionBuilding · listed 1980
About itMargaret BlockBuilding · listed 1984
About itRoberts BuildingBuilding · listed 1985
About itUS Post Office and Courthouse-Great FallsBuilding · listed 1986
About itHarry E. Randall HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itChicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Passenger DepotBuilding · listed 1988
About itNorthern Montana State Fairground Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itLee M. Ford HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itGreat Falls Northside Residential Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About it13 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Great Falls: May and July 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 56 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 84 | 73 | 58 | 44 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
December is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 2.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Great Falls →
Next door
Great Falls and its neighbors
Great Falls has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls | 8% | 0.6 | 13 | 98% | A− |
| Black Eagle | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Malmstrom AFB | under 1% | 1.2 | 5 | 82% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Great Falls
Where can I hike in Great Falls?
The longest trail networks: Charles Russell Park, 0.8 miles; Gibson Park, 0.8 miles; Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, 0.7 miles; Warden Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Great Falls is conserved land?
8% 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 Great Falls’ trails?
Charles Russell Park and Gibson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Great Falls?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Great Falls?
23,991 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Great Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 844 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Great Falls have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 of 42 in Montana. 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 Great Falls neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →