Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFew parks or trails are on the map in Jefferson
16% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 6% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Jefferson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson is ahead of 6% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; conserved land comes closest.
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.
10 conserved acres
1% of Jefferson’s land. Who manages Jefferson’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 2 of 2 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Jefferson Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Ashe County Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
1 places to go in Jefferson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Jefferson: 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) | 41 | 45 | 52 | 62 | 69 | 76 | 79 | 77 | 73 | 63 | 53 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson →
Jefferson and its neighbors
Jefferson has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 16% | D |
| West Jefferson | 2% | 0.2 | 37 | 80% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jefferson
How much of Jefferson is conserved land?
1% 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.
Is there public land near Jefferson?
7,793 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson have?
Ahead of 6% 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 Jefferson 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 →