Nantahala National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
65 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Murphy
6% of Murphy’s land is conserved: 92 acres
2.7 miles of mapped trail cross Murphy, 1.1 per square mile of land. 38 acres are parks and preserves, 24 per 1,000 residents. 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
92 acres · of 2.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.7 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
38 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Murphy?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Murphy have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Murphy is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Murphy’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (38 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home82% 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 81%
LessMore
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 Nantahala National Forest, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Konaheeta Park
Managed by Cherokee County Recreation Department / Town of Murphy
35 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Hiwassee Street Boat Ramp
Managed by Tennessee Valley Authority
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Fort Butler Memorial Park
Managed by Town of Murphy
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Who protects it
92 conserved acres
6% of Murphy’s land. Who manages Murphy’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service62 ac
Not recorded29 ac
National Forest · 62 acLocal Other or Unknown · 20 acLocal Recreation Area · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 3 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nantahala National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 62 | Open |
| Town of Murphy Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Town of Murphy and Cherokee County - Konaheta Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
Things to do
7 places to go in Murphy
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Murphy
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Murphy
Hiwassee Street SlipwayIn Hiwassee Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsPayne Street SlipwayIn Payne Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in Murphy
Hiwassee River Observation Deck
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.5 mi
Murphy River Walk1.0 mi
The Confluence Loop0.2 mi
The Fisherman's Loop0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
8Pickleball
6Baseball
3Basketball
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Murphy: 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) | 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) | 49 | 54 | 62 | 71 | 77 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.0 |
October is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 6.0 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Murphy →
Questions about parks and trails in Murphy
Where can I hike in Murphy?
The longest trail networks: Nantahala National Forest, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Murphy 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 Murphy’s trails?
Nantahala National Forest and Konaheeta Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Murphy?
59,502 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Murphy or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 98 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Murphy have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Murphy 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 →