Maclay Bridge · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Orchard Homes has 17 miles of mapped trails, 3.0 for every square mile of land
20% of Orchard Homes’ land is conserved, about 714 acres. 560 acres are parks and preserves, 100 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Big Sky Park (2.4 mi), Rosecrest Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #3 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Orchard Homes?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Orchard Homes have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Orchard Homes is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #3 of 42 in Montana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so Orchard Homes’ 20% is ahead of 78% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% 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 Big Sky Park, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
714 conserved acres
20% of Orchard Homes’ land. Who manages Orchard Homes’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 86 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Island Fishing Access Site State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 384 | Open |
| Big Sky Park Local Park | County | 122 | Open |
| Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 104 | Unknown |
| Rosecrest Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Lolo National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 4 | Open |
| Schmautz Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
10 places to go in Orchard Homes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
7.2 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Orchard Homes: May, June, August 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 50 | 58 | 68 | 75 | 86 | 85 | 74 | 58 | 42 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
August is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 2.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Orchard Homes →
Orchard Homes and its neighbors
Orchard Homes has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Homes | 20% | 3.0 | 100 | 88% | A+ |
| Missoula | 21% | 3.2 | 12 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Orchard Homes
Where can I hike in Orchard Homes?
The longest trail networks: Big Sky Park, 2.4 miles; Rosecrest Park, 0.6 miles; Spurgin Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Orchard Homes is conserved land?
20% 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 Orchard Homes’ trails?
Big Sky Park and Rosecrest Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Orchard Homes?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Orchard Homes?
101,252 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Orchard Homes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 564 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Orchard Homes have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 Orchard Homes 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 →