Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.07% of Laurel’s land is conserved: 109 acres
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Lions Family Park (0.9 mi). 98 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #27 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Laurel?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Laurel have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Laurel is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #27 of 42 in Montana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so Laurel’s 7% is ahead of 37% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 24% 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 Lions Family Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riverside Park
All 9 parks & preserves
109 conserved acres
7% of Laurel’s land. Who manages Laurel’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 7 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 | 106 | Unknown |
| Thomson Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Emma Murray Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Lions Family Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Russell Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Nutting Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
9 places to go in Laurel
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 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.
1 lakes & rivers
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.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Laurel: May, June and 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 51 | 59 | 68 | 78 | 88 | 87 | 76 | 61 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 2.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Laurel →
Questions about parks and trails in Laurel
Where can I hike in Laurel?
The longest trail networks: Lions Family Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Laurel is conserved land?
7% 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 Laurel’s trails?
Lions Family Park and Riverside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Laurel?
15,824 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Laurel or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 98 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Laurel have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 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 Laurel 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 →