Photo: Beckycafferylepage · CC BY-SA 4.0Monroe has 5.0 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
43% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 202 acres are parks and preserves, 5.5 per 1,000 residents. 3% of Monroe’s land is conserved, about 615 acres.
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns · #181 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe is ahead of 31% of U.S. towns, #181 of 290 in North Carolina. 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.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
615 conserved acres
3% of Monroe’s land. Who manages Monroe’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 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Monroe Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 428 | Unknown |
| Dickerson Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| City of Monroe - Dickerson Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 37 | Open |
| Parks Williams Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Union County Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 27 | Unknown |
| Monroe Aquatics & Fitness Center
Monroe Aquatics Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| City of Monroe - Sutton Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
| City of Monroe - Belk-Tonawanda Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
| City of Monroe - Don Griffin Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 10 | Open |
| Creft Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
24 places to go in Monroe
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
1.6 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.
7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Monroe: 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 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 53 | 57 | 64 | 74 | 81 | 87 | 91 | 89 | 83 | 74 | 63 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 4.2 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Monroe →
Monroe and its neighbors
Monroe has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 3% | 0.2 | 5 | 43% | C |
| Unionville | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | under 1% | D |
| Indian Trail | 1% | 0.3 | 5 | 47% | C |
| Wesley Chapel | 1% | 0.2 | 2 | 3% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Monroe
Where can I hike in Monroe?
The longest trail networks: Belk Tonowonda Park, 0.2 miles; Don Griffin Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monroe is conserved land?
3% 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 Monroe’s trails?
Dickerson Park and Belk Tonowonda Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Monroe?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Monroe?
3,374 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 202 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #181 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 Monroe 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 →