Martin Marietta Park
Managed by City of New Bern
832 acres2.5 mi of trail
Explorer TrailIsland Pond TrailExplorer & StoryWalk TrailDragonfly Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Tradewinds · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in New Bern
New Bern has 1,308 acres of parks, 40 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Martin Marietta Park (2.5 mi), Glenburnie Park (0.7 mi), Lawson Creek Nature Area (0.5 mi). 9% of New Bern’s land is conserved, about 1,635 acres. 17 miles of mapped trail cross New Bern, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #34 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,635 acres · of 28.9 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,308 ac
40 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
1.9 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is New Bern?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Bern have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Bern is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #34 of 290 in North Carolina. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Bern’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land40 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,308 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home56% 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 75%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 89%
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 Martin Marietta Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Glenburnie Park
Park
41 acres0.7 mi of trail
Glenburnie Park
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lawson Creek Nature Area
Park
41 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Martin Marietta Park832 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · City of New Bern
DirectionsGlenburnie Park41 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Lawson Creek Nature Area41 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsD.E. Henderson Park14 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLawson Creek Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCroatan National Forest91 acres · United States Forest Service
S.W. Parrott Park24 acres
Union Point Park7 acres
DirectionsFort Totten Park4 acres
Pierce Park4 acres
Kafer Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,635 conserved acres
9% of New Bern’s land. Who manages New Bern’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation880 ac
U.S. Forest Service91 ac
Town or city89 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits50 ac
Not recorded2,249 ac
Local Recreation Area · 1,132 acConservation Easement · 878 acState Other or Unknown · 835 acLocal Other or Unknown · 193 acNational Forest · 91 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 71 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 13 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of New Bern - Martin Marietta Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 927 | Unknown |
| NC Land and Water Fund Conservation Agreement State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 827 | Unknown |
| City of New Bern Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 187 | Unknown |
| City of New Bern - Lawson Creek Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 147 | Open |
| Croatan National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 91 | Open |
| North Carolina Coastal Land Trust - Brices Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 67 | Unknown |
| City of New Bern - Glenburnie Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 45 | Open |
| Lawson Creek Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| West New Bern Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Tryon Palace State Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in New Bern
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in New Bern
Tryon
DirectionsPlaygrounds in New Bern
Privateering Play Area
DirectionsTrinity UMC Playground
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in New Bern
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.1 mi
Jack Smith Creek Wetlands Trail2.0 mi
Explorer Trail1.1 mi
Island Pond Trail0.7 mi
Glenburnie Park0.6 mi
River Walk0.3 mi
Explorer & StoryWalk Trail0.2 mi
Trinity UMC Prayer Trail0.1 mi
Dragonfly Trail0.1 mi
Overlook Trail0.1 mi
StoryWalk Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
21Tennis
12Baseball
6Pickleball
4Basketball
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →51 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 14 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
John Wright Stanly HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itStevenson HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itHarvey MansionBuilding · listed 1971
About itBlades HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itAttmore-Oliver HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itCentral Elementary SchoolBuilding · listed 1972
About itCoor-Gaston HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itFirst Presbyterian Church and ChurchyardBuilding · listed 1972
About itHawks HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itMasonic Temple and TheaterBuilding · listed 1972
About itBryan House and OfficeBuilding · listed 1972
About itEdward R. Stanly HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About it39 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Bern: 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) | 55 | 58 | 65 | 73 | 80 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 83 | 74 | 65 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
April is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 7.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in New Bern →
Next door
New Bern and its neighbors
New Bern 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Bern | 9% | 0.6 | 40 | 56% | B+ |
| James City | 5% | 0.4 | 28 | 13% | B− |
| Brices Creek | 16% | 1.1 | under 1 | 1% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Bern
Where can I hike in New Bern?
The longest trail networks: Martin Marietta Park, 2.5 miles; Glenburnie Park, 0.7 miles; Lawson Creek Nature Area, 0.5 miles; D.E. Henderson Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Bern is conserved land?
9% 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 New Bern’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Martin Marietta Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in New Bern?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near New Bern?
35,804 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Bern or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,402 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does New Bern have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #34 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 New Bern 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 →