Harnett County Training School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFew parks or trails are on the map in Walnut Creek
6 acres are parks and preserves, 4.1 per 1,000 residents. 1% of Walnut Creek’s land is conserved, about 15 acres. 39% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 13% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Walnut Creek have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Walnut Creek is ahead of 13% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park comes closest.
Water is 13% of Walnut Creek’s area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
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.
15 conserved acres
1% of Walnut Creek’s land. Water is left out: Walnut Creek has 2.1 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Walnut Creek’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 1 of 2 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| NC Hazard Mitigation Buyout Property - Wayne County State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
2 lakes & rivers
The best walking months in Walnut Creek: 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) | 54 | 57 | 64 | 74 | 80 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 83 | 74 | 64 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Walnut Creek →
Questions about parks and trails in Walnut Creek
How much of Walnut Creek is conserved land?
1% 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.
Is there public land near Walnut Creek?
1,955 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Walnut Creek or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Walnut Creek have?
Ahead of 13% 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 Walnut Creek 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 →