North Market Street Historic District · Photo: Tradewinds · CC BY-SA 3.0Washington has 298 acres of parks, 31 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Washington Waterfront (0.5 mi). 7% of Washington’s land is conserved, about 327 acres. 3.6 miles of mapped trail cross Washington, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #46 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Washington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Washington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Washington is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #46 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.
Water is 10% of Washington’s area (1 of 9 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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
The longest trail network is Washington Waterfront, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veteran's Memorial Park
327 conserved acres
7% of Washington’s land. Water is left out: Washington has 7.9 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Washington’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 4 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Washington Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 404 | Unknown |
| Aquatic Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| City of Washington - Veterans Park and Jacks Creek Greenway Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
| City of Washington - Seventh Street Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
| North Carolina Estuarium Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| NC Hazard Mitigation Buyout Property - Washington State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
| City of Washington - Havens Garden Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 8 | Open |
| NC Land and Water Fund Conservation Agreement State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Todd Maxwell Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
7 places to go in Washington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
1 named trail
1.6 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.
6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Washington: 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 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 53 | 56 | 63 | 73 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 73 | 64 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
November is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 6.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Washington →
Questions about parks and trails in Washington
Where can I hike in Washington?
The longest trail networks: Washington Waterfront, 0.5 miles; Seventh Street Park, 0.2 miles; Veteran's Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Washington 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 Washington’s trails?
Washington Waterfront and Seventh Street Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Washington?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes and 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Washington?
4,968 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Washington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 298 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Washington have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #46 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 Washington 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 →