Lake Davidson Nature Preserve
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Cscdavidson · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Davidson
Davidson has 8.6 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Davidson’s land is conserved, about 261 acres. 167 acres are parks and preserves, 11 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #31 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
261 acres · of 6.5 sq mi of land
Trails
8.6 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
167 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
1.4 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Davidson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Davidson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Davidson is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #31 of 290 in North Carolina. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Davidson’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (167 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home85% 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 77%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 90%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to 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 Lake Davidson Nature Preserve, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West Branch Nature Preserve
Managed by Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation
90 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Roosevelt Wilson Park
Park
13 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Lake Davidson Nature Preserve9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Branch Nature Preserve90 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation
DirectionsParham Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRoosevelt Wilson Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsForest Park Playground2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Dam9 acres
DirectionsMcEver Fields7 acres
DirectionsRiver Run Athletic Park7 acres
DirectionsPlum Creek Park5 acres
Faulkner Square Park1 acres
DirectionsCaldwell Green Tot Lot1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
261 conserved acres
6% of Davidson’s land. Who manages Davidson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city68 ac
State natural resources19 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits15 ac
Private owners10 ac
Other state land8 ac
County4 ac
Not recorded210 ac
Local Recreation Area · 112 acLocal Conservation Area · 100 acLocal Park · 72 acOther Easement · 19 acPrivate Conservation · 18 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 10 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Davidson Open Space Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 100 | Unknown |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - West Branch Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 90 | Restricted |
| Davidson College Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 18 | Unknown |
| Plum Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Beaty Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Roosevelt Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Lake Davidson Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Private owners | 9 | Open |
| Historic Beaver Dam Park Local Park | Other state land | 8 | Open |
| The Preserve Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Mcever Baseball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Davidson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Davidson
Greyton Lane Pool
DirectionsWest Branch Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Davidson
Carolina H. Manning
DirectionsPlum Creek Park PlaygroundIn Plum Creek Park
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Davidson
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Davidson
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.8 mi
Preserve Trail0.4 mi
Path from Cross Country Trail to the Graveyard0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
22Tennis
6Basketball
6Pickleball
4Baseball
1Multi-sport
1Field hockey
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Eumenean Hall, Davidson CollegeBuilding · listed 1972
About itPhilanthropic Hall, Davidson CollegeBuilding · listed 1972
About itBeaver Dam Plantation HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itPotts PlantationDistrict · listed 1998
About itChairman Blake HouseBuilding · listed 2004
About itDavidson Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Davidson: April and May
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) | 51 | 55 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Davidson →
Next door
Davidson and its neighbors
Davidson has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson | 6% | 1.3 | 11 | 85% | A− |
| Cornelius | 8% | 0.4 | 17 | 90% | A− |
| Kannapolis | 2% | 0.1 | 3 | 17% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Davidson
Where can I hike in Davidson?
The longest trail networks: Lake Davidson Nature Preserve, 0.3 miles; West Branch Nature Preserve, 0.2 miles; Roosevelt Wilson Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Davidson 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 Davidson’s trails?
Lake Davidson Nature Preserve and West Branch Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Davidson?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Davidson?
5,592 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Davidson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 167 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Davidson have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 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 Davidson 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 →