13% of Northchase’s land is conserved: 145 acres
84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 112 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #83 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Northchase?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Northchase have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northchase is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #83 of 290 in North Carolina. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
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.
145 conserved acres
13% of Northchase’s land. Who manages Northchase’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 11 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover County Park Local Park | County | 92 | Open |
| New Hanover County Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Unknown |
| Northchase Park & Pool Local Park | Private owners | 13 | Open |
| City of Wilmington Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
3 places to go in Northchase
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
0.0 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.
The best walking months in Northchase: 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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 60 | 67 | 74 | 81 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 84 | 76 | 67 | 60 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
April is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 8.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Northchase →
Northchase and its neighbors
Northchase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northchase | 13% | under 0.1 | 19 | 84% | B |
| Murraysville | 12% | 0.8 | 22 | 58% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Northchase
How much of Northchase is conserved land?
13% 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 Northchase’s trails?
Olsen Park and Trask Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Northchase?
4,815 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northchase or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 112 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Northchase have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #83 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 Northchase 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 →