Valdese Lakeside Park
Park
325 acres1.6 mi of trail
Proposed New Outer LoopPower Line Connection
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Valdese
Valdese has 403 acres of parks, 86 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Valdese Lakeside Park (1.6 mi). 6.2 miles of mapped trail cross Valdese, 0.8 per square mile of land. 7% of Valdese’s land is conserved, about 372 acres.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #24 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
372 acres · of 7.9 sq mi of land
Trails
6.2 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
403 ac
86 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
10 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Valdese?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Valdese have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Valdese is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #24 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Valdese’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land86 acres of park per 1,000 residents (403 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13AParks close to home65% 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 82%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 92%
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 Valdese Lakeside Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 5 parks & preserves
Valdese Lakeside Park325 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMcGalliard Falls Park24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWildcat Trail System24 acres
DirectionsTrail of Faith5 acres
DirectionsValdese Recreation Center2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
372 conserved acres
7% of Valdese’s land. Who manages Valdese’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land293 ac
Town or city2 ac
Not recorded684 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 340 acUnknown Easement · 293 acState Other or Unknown · 293 acLocal Recreation Area · 46 acLocal Conservation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 8 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Valdese Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 340 | Unknown |
| NC Land and Water Fund Conservation Agreement State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 293 | Unknown |
| Town of Valdese - McGalliard Falls Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 46 | Open |
| Town of Valdese Open Space - Childrens Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 6 | Restricted |
| Valdese Recreation Park & Pool Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Valdese
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Valdese
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Valdese
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Valdese
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Valdese
McGalliard FallsIn McGalliard Falls Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Valdese
Fox DenIn Valdese Lakeside Park
DirectionsPicnic PeninsulaIn Valdese Lakeside Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Future Burke River Trail1.0 mi
Proposed New Outer Loop0.8 mi
Power Line Connection0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
4Tennis
3Football
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Valdese Elementary SchoolBuilding · listed 1984
About itWaldensian Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1984
About itJean-Pierre Auguste Dalmas HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itWaldensian Swiss Embroidery Company–Valdese Weavers, Inc. MillBuilding · listed 2023
About itPineburr Hosiery MillBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Valdese: April to June
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 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 50 | 55 | 62 | 72 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 72 | 62 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Valdese →
Next door
Valdese and its neighbors
Valdese has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valdese | 7% | 0.8 | 86 | 65% | A− |
| Rutherford College | under 1% | 0.4 | 5 | 56% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Valdese
Where can I hike in Valdese?
The longest trail networks: Valdese Lakeside Park, 1.6 miles; McGalliard Falls Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Valdese is conserved land?
7% 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 Valdese’s trails?
Valdese Lakeside Park and McGalliard Falls Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Valdese?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Valdese?
11,530 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Valdese or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 403 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Valdese have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #24 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 Valdese 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 →