Burlington City Park
Park
87 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Ak1047 · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Burlington
6% of Burlington’s land is conserved: 1,269 acres
The biggest trail networks: Burlington City Park (2.2 mi), Fairchild Park (1 mi), Joe Davidson Park (1 mi). 512 acres are parks and preserves, 8.6 per 1,000 residents. 6.6 miles of mapped trail cross Burlington, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #111 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,269 acres · of 31.3 sq mi of land
Trails
6.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
512 ac
8.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.8 mi
3.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burlington is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #111 of 290 in North Carolina. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Burlington’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land8.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (512 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home59% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 48%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 62%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B−. 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 Burlington City Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fairchild Park
Managed by Burlington Recreation & Parks
40 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Joe Davidson Park
Park
38 acres1 mi of trail
Bankers and Shippers Walking Track
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Guilford Mackintosh Park & Marina
Park
84 acres0.6 mi of trail
Guilford Mackintosh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Willowbrook Park
Park
11 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Burlington City Park87 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFairchild Park40 acres · 1 mi of trail · Burlington Recreation & Parks
DirectionsJoe Davidson Park38 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsGuilford Mackintosh Park & Marina84 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWillowbrook Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Emira Community Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSpringwood Park79 acres
DirectionsTown And Country Park Ii53 acres
DirectionsNorth Park25 acres
Northwest Park9 acres
Forest Hills Park5 acres
Glen Raven Park4 acres
Southern Neighborhood Park3 acres · Burlington Recreation & Parks
Dothan Park3 acres · Burlington Recreation & Parks
Eva Barker Park2 acres · Burlington Recreation & Parks
Petersburg Park1 acres · Burlington Recreation & Parks
Who protects it
1,269 conserved acres
6% of Burlington’s land. Who manages Burlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County99 ac
Town or city91 ac
State conservation7 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Not recorded1,142 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 904 acLocal Recreation Area · 238 acLocal Park · 190 acConservation Easement · 7 acAgricultural Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 28 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Burlington Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 902 | Unknown |
| Guilford County Park Local Park | County | 99 | Open |
| City of Burlington - Burlington City Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 78 | Open |
| City of Burlington - Town and Country Nature Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 52 | Open |
| Fairchild Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| City of Burlington - Joe C. Davidson Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 39 | Open |
| City of Burlington - North Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 29 | Open |
| Lake Mackintosh Park & Marina Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| City of Burlington - Burlington Arboretum Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
| Willowbrook Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
41 places to go in Burlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Burlington
Auburn Trace Community Playground
DirectionsMackintosh Playgroiund
Directions38 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Burlington
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Burlington
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.3 mi
Guilford Mackintosh Trail0.6 mi
Bankers and Shippers Walking Track0.5 mi
Haw River Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
3.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
30Tennis
25Baseball
14Soccer
11Basketball
6Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
2Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →28 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Allen HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itLow HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itSt. Athanasius Episcopal Church and Parish House and the Church of the Holy ComforterBuilding · listed 1979
About itSouthern Railway Passenger StationBuilding · listed 1980
About itMenagerie CarouselStructure · listed 1982
About itAlamance HotelBuilding · listed 1984
About itAtlantic Bank and Trust Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itEfird BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itFirst Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1984
About itFirst Christian Church of BurlingtonBuilding · listed 1984
About itHolt-Frost HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itHorner HousesBuilding · listed 1984
About it16 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Burlington: April to June
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 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 50 | 54 | 62 | 72 | 78 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 72 | 61 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Burlington →
Next door
Burlington and its neighbors
Burlington has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 6% | 0.2 | 9 | 59% | B− |
| Graham | 2% | 0.4 | 5 | 64% | C+ |
| Elon | 3% | under 0.1 | 9 | 35% | C |
| Haw River | 3% | 0.8 | 20 | 60% | B |
| Whitsett | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burlington
Where can I hike in Burlington?
The longest trail networks: Burlington City Park, 2.2 miles; Fairchild Park, 1 miles; Joe Davidson Park, 1 miles; Guilford Mackintosh Park & Marina, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burlington is conserved land?
6% 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 Burlington’s trails?
Burlington City Park and Fairchild Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burlington?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Burlington?
4,850 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 512 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #111 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 Burlington 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 →