Thomas Wolfe House · Photo: Abe Ezekowitz · CC BY-SA 2.0Asheville has 27 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Mountainside Park (1 mi), Carrier Park (0.9 mi), Ray L Kisiah Park (0.6 mi). 714 acres are parks and preserves, 7.6 per 1,000 residents. 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #77 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Asheville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Asheville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Asheville is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #77 of 290 in North Carolina. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
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 Mountainside Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Carrier Park
Ray L Kisiah Park
Masters Park
All 42 parks & preserves
1,247 conserved acres
4% of Asheville’s land. Who manages Asheville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 58 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 29 of 68 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buncombe County Park Local Park | County | 481 | Open |
| City of Asheville Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 304 | Unknown |
| Blue Ridge Parkway Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 275 | Restricted |
| City of Asheville - Richmond Hill Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 150 | Unknown |
| City of Asheville - Mountainside Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 59 | Open |
| NC Land and Water Fund Project State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 53 | Restricted |
| Wnc Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| City of Asheville - Ray Kisiah Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| City of Asheville - Carrier Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 29 | Open |
| Eliada Home Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 28 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
53 places to go in Asheville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
1 more peak
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
13 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
3 more trails
25 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.
90 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 11 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
78 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Asheville: April to June and August
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) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 48 | 52 | 59 | 69 | 76 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 69 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
October is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Asheville →
Asheville and its neighbors
Asheville has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville | 4% | 0.6 | 8 | 73% | B |
| Woodfin | 12% | 0.5 | 3 | 39% | B− |
| Biltmore Forest | 7% | 0.8 | 5 | 73% | B |
| Royal Pines | 3% | 0.1 | 4 | 53% | C |
| Fletcher | 5% | 0.8 | 28 | 22% | B |
| Mills River | 3% | 0.2 | 7 | 5% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Asheville
Where can I hike in Asheville?
The longest trail networks: Mountainside Park, 1 miles; Carrier Park, 0.9 miles; Ray L Kisiah Park, 0.6 miles; Malvern Hills Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Asheville is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Asheville’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Masters Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Asheville?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 2.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Asheville?
21,513 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Asheville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 727 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Asheville have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Asheville 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 →