Lake Wilson Reservoir Park
Managed by City of Wilson
122 acres1.7 mi of trail
Lake Wilson LoopLake Wilson Lopp
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: MattShaw9365 · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wilson
Wilson has 7.6 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Lake Wilson Reservoir Park (1.7 mi), Toisnot Park (1.3 mi). 4% of Wilson’s land is conserved, about 847 acres. 481 acres are parks and preserves, 9.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #112 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
847 acres · of 31.8 sq mi of land
Trails
7.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
481 ac
9.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
63%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilson is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #112 of 290 in North Carolina. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wilson’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (481 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home63% 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 48%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 62%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B−. 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 Lake Wilson Reservoir Park, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wilson Recreation Park Swimming Pool
Park
23 acres0.1 mi of trail
Hominy Swamp Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Greater Wilson Rotary Park
Managed by City of Wilson
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Greater Wilson Rotary Park Parking Area
All 18 parks & preserves
Lake Wilson Reservoir Park122 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · City of Wilson
DirectionsToisnot Park72 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsForest Hills Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFive Points park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Wilson Recreation Park Swimming Pool23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreater Wilson Rotary Park11 acres · City of Wilson
DirectionsBelle Meade Neighborhood Park8 acres
Merrimont Park5 acres
Ridgewood Park4 acres · City of Wilson
Williams Day Camp4 acres
DirectionsNorris Park4 acres · City of Wilson
Lamm Park3 acres
DirectionsWilson Dog Park3 acres · City of Wilson
DirectionsPender Street Park3 acres · City of Wilson
Westwood Park2 acres
Warren Street Park2 acres · City of Wilson
Freeman Park2 acres · City of Wilson
Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
847 conserved acres
4% of Wilson’s land. Who manages Wilson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city46 ac
Other state land20 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
State conservation4 ac
Not recorded955 ac
Local Recreation Area · 413 acLocal Other or Unknown · 382 acState Other or Unknown · 179 acLocal Park · 46 acConservation Easement · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Wilson Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 389 | Unknown |
| City of Wilson - J Burt Gillette Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 136 | Open |
| City of Wilson - Lake Wilson Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 129 | Open |
| NC Hazard Mitigation Buyout Property - Wilson State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 98 | Unknown |
| NC Hazard Mitigation Buyout Property - Wilson County State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| City of Wilson - Toisnot Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| City of Wilson - Wilson Recreation Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| Contentnea Creek Archaeological Preserve Land Acquisition State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 20 | Unknown |
| City of Wilson - Lane Street Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 15 | Open |
| Fleming Stadium/ Jcfield/Denby Field Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Wilson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wilson
24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Wilson
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Wilson
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Wilson
Williams Day Camp Disc Golf CourseIn Williams Day Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
Lake Wilson Loop1.5 mi
Loop A0.7 mi
Loop B0.5 mi
Lincoln Mobile Park0.2 mi
Hominy Swamp Greenway0.1 mi
Lake Wilson Lopp0.1 mi
Purdie Street Southeast0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
38Tennis
20Baseball
15Soccer
7Basketball
6Softball
2Football
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Branch BankingBuilding · listed 1978
About itWilson County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itMoses Rountree HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itDavis-Whitehead-Harriss HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itCherry HotelBuilding · listed 1982
About itOlzie Whitehead Williams HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itWilson Central Business-Tobacco Warehouse Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itOld Wilson Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itWest Nash Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itGen. Joshua Barnes HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itWoodard Family Rural Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itEast Wilson Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wilson: 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 | 13.1 | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 56 | 63 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 83 | 73 | 63 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Wilson →
Questions about parks and trails in Wilson
Where can I hike in Wilson?
The longest trail networks: Lake Wilson Reservoir Park, 1.7 miles; Toisnot Park, 1.3 miles; Wilson Recreation Park Swimming Pool, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilson is conserved land?
4% 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 Wilson’s trails?
Lake Wilson Reservoir Park and Toisnot Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wilson?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wilson?
586 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 481 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wilson have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #112 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 Wilson 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 →