Boone Greenway
Managed by Watauga County
277 acres5.3 mi of trail
Kennedy Trails - Heustess HillKennedy Trails - Weaver RidgeClark CurveKennedy Trails+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto State Farm Satellite ParkingWebsite ↗
Photo: Jeremy Mikkola from Boone, NC · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Boone
Boone has 15 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
13% of Boone’s land is conserved, about 527 acres. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Boone Greenway (5.3 mi), Arborcrest Gardens (2 mi), Appalachian State University Nature Preserve (1.7 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #7 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
527 acres · of 6.4 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
564 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
3.7 mi lanes · 6.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Boone?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Boone have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Boone is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #7 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Boone’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (564 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 98%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Boone Greenway, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arborcrest Gardens
Park
24 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Appalachian State University Nature Preserve
Managed by Appalachian State University
97 acres1.7 mi of trail
Windmill Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Top of the Rock
Strawberry Hill Arboretum
Managed by Town of Boone
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Boone Greenway277 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · Watauga County
DirectionsArborcrest Gardens24 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsAppalachian State University Nature Preserve97 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Appalachian State University
DirectionsStrawberry Hill Arboretum8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Boone
DirectionsBrookshire Park35 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Watauga County Parks and Recreation
DirectionsDurham Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWatauga Recreation Complex20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Boone
DirectionsJunaluska City Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Boone
DirectionsOptimist Club of Boone6 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park2 acres · Town of Boone
DirectionsSanford Mall1 acres · Appalachian State University
DirectionsWho protects it
527 conserved acres
13% of Boone’s land. Who manages Boone’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Joint300 ac
Other state land78 ac
State conservation67 ac
County22 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits17 ac
Town or city9 ac
State natural resources3 ac
Local Park · 350 acLocal Other or Unknown · 170 acConservation Easement · 67 acLocal Conservation Area · 67 acState Other or Unknown · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 19 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 18 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga County Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 336 | Unknown |
| Town of Boone Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 133 | Unknown |
| Appalachian State Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other state land | 67 | Open |
| Brookshire Park Local Park | County | 22 | Open |
| NC Land and Water Fund Project State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
| Junaluska City Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Open |
| Clawson-Burnley Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Optimist Park Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Durham Park Local Park | Other state land | 6 | Open |
| Sanford Mall Local Park | Other state land | 3 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Boone
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Boone
Tot LotIn Watauga Recreation Complex
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Boone
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Boone
Boone Access
DirectionsPicnic areas in Boone
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Boone
Appalachian Roots GardenAppalachian State University Office of University Sustainability
DirectionsElizabeth Young Community Garden
DirectionsSustainable Development Civic Garden Project
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.8 mi
Kennedy Trails - Heustess Hill0.5 mi
Kennedy Trails - Weaver Ridge0.5 mi
Windmill Loop0.4 mi
Kennedy Trails0.4 mi
Clark Curve0.4 mi
Kennedy Trails - Maymead Landing0.3 mi
Kennedy Trails - Angel Stairway0.3 mi
Kennedy Trails - Ron & Reba Run0.2 mi
Boone United Trail0.2 mi
Kennedy Trails - Hoyt Hill0.1 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.
3.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Tennis
10Baseball
5Basketball
5Soccer
2Football
2Multi-sport
2Pickleball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Boone: April to 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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 52 | 62 | 70 | 76 | 79 | 78 | 72 | 63 | 53 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Boone →
Questions about parks and trails in Boone
Where can I hike in Boone?
The longest trail networks: Boone Greenway, 5.3 miles; Arborcrest Gardens, 2 miles; Appalachian State University Nature Preserve, 1.7 miles; Strawberry Hill Arboretum, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Boone is conserved land?
13% 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 Boone’s trails?
Boone Greenway and Arborcrest Gardens don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Boone?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of painted or protected lanes, 6.7 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Boone?
18,634 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Boone or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 564 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Boone have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Boone 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 →