Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.07% of West Yellowstone’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1.5 miles of mapped trail cross West Yellowstone, 1.7 per square mile of land. 7% of West Yellowstone’s land is conserved, about 39 acres.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is West Yellowstone?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does West Yellowstone have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Yellowstone is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so West Yellowstone’s 7% is ahead of 38% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% 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 Linear Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 5 parks & preserves
39 conserved acres
7% of West Yellowstone’s land. Who manages West Yellowstone’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 1 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 | 39 | Unknown |
4 places to go in West Yellowstone
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.
1 named trail
0.1 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 map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in West Yellowstone: June 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 31 | 40 | 48 | 58 | 67 | 77 | 77 | 66 | 51 | 35 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
August is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.3 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in West Yellowstone →
Questions about parks and trails in West Yellowstone
Where can I hike in West Yellowstone?
The longest trail networks: Linear Park, 0.3 miles; Recreation Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Yellowstone 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 West Yellowstone’s trails?
Linear Park and Heritage Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Yellowstone?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near West Yellowstone?
98,305 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Yellowstone or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 43 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Yellowstone have?
Ahead of 93% 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 West Yellowstone 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 →