Riverside Park
Park
231 acres3.3 mi of trail
Bill Mills Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Bismarck
Bismarck has 41 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Riverside Park (3.3 mi), Cottonwood Park (2.6 mi), Atkinson Nature Park (2 mi). 8% of Bismarck’s land is conserved, about 1,938 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #1 of 23 in North Dakota. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,938 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,034 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
32 mi
1.8 mi lanes · 30 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bismarck?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bismarck have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bismarck is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #1 of 23 in North Dakota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bismarck’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical ND town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · ND 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,034 acres) · ND 10 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · ND 71% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
North Dakota towns of 2,500+ (23)#1 of 23
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Riverside Park, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Capitol Grounds Native Prairie
Park
28 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bismarck Conservation and Outdoor Skills Area
Park
48 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 45 parks & preserves
Riverside Park231 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCottonwood Park183 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsAtkinson Nature Park143 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park40 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCapitol Grounds Native Prairie28 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSouthland Park9 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBismarck Conservation and Outdoor Skills Area48 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsChief Lookings Village9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCapitol Mall8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsIgoe Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCentennial Grove11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPioneer Park72 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSleepy Hollow Park62 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGateway Pond8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCapitol Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPioneer Park Trails43 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRosa Young Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Zonta Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKeelboat Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Meadows Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHorizon Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMyron Atkinson Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Bridge Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions23rd Street Playground3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Custer Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTatley-Eagles Park18 acres
DirectionsHighland Acres Park16 acres
DirectionsSteamboat Park14 acres
DirectionsNew Generations Park12 acres
Kiwanis Park12 acres
DirectionsJaycee Centennial Park12 acres
DirectionsWachter Park10 acres
DirectionsNormandy Park9 acres
Marian Park8 acres
DirectionsJohnny Gisi Memorial Park7 acres
Missouri River Natural Area6 acres
Sons of Norway Park6 acres
DirectionsNorth Central Park6 acres
Elk Ridge Park6 acres
Century Bark Park5 acres
DirectionsHeritage Park5 acres
16th Street Park4 acres
DirectionsDuemeland Park4 acres
DirectionsOptimist Family Park3 acres
DirectionsPeace Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,938 conserved acres
8% of Bismarck’s land. Who manages Bismarck’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,216 ac
State land board671 ac
Other state land75 ac
Town or city7 ac
Private owners4 ac
Local Park · 1,202 acState Resource Management Area · 671 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 43 acLocal Recreation Area · 25 acState Park · 21 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nd State Lands - Surface Ownership State Resource Management Area | State land board | 671 | Open |
| Cottonwood Park Local Park | Regional agency | 186 | Open |
| Walt Neuen'S Horse Arena Local Park | Regional agency | 128 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Regional agency | 89 | Open |
| Pebble Creek Recreation Area Local Park | Regional agency | 87 | Open |
| Valley Drive Greenway Local Park | Regional agency | 71 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Regional agency | 65 | Open |
| Hay Creek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 57 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Regional agency | 56 | Open |
| Johnny Gisi Memorial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 52 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
80 places to go in Bismarck
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Bismarck
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Bismarck
Elks Aquatic CenterFee
DirectionsElks Aquatic CenterFee
Directions76 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Bismarck
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Bismarck
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 1.7 miUnpaved · 9.2 mi
Bill Mills Nature Trail0.8 mi
66th Street Northeast0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
32 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
30 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
63Baseball
51Soccer
33Tennis
29Basketball
14Pickleball
11Volleyball
6Football
4Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →22 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Camp Hancock SiteSite · listed 1972
About itTowne-Williams HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itFormer North Dakota Executive MansionBuilding · listed 1975
About itBismarck Civic AuditoriumBuilding · listed 1976
About itU.S. Post Office and CourthouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itPatterson HotelBuilding · listed 1976
About itNorthern Pacific Railway DepotBuilding · listed 1977
About itChief Looking's Village site (32BL3)Site · listed 1978
About itBismarck Cathedral Area Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itBismarck Tribune BuildingBuilding · listed 1982
About itE. G. Patterson BuildingBuilding · listed 1982
About itSoo HotelBuilding · listed 1983
About it10 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bismarck: August and September
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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 84 | 83 | 73 | 57 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
February is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bismarck →
Next door
Bismarck and its neighbors
Bismarck has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck | 8% | 1.1 | 27 | 94% | A |
| Hay Creek Township | under 1% | 0.6 | 5 | 18% | C− |
| Gibbs Township | 4% | 0.9 | 56 | 13% | B |
| Apple Creek Township | 2% | 0.7 | under 1 | 10% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bismarck
Where can I hike in Bismarck?
The longest trail networks: Riverside Park, 3.3 miles; Cottonwood Park, 2.6 miles; Atkinson Nature Park, 2 miles; Lions Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bismarck is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Dakota town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Bismarck’s trails?
Riverside Park and Cottonwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bismarck?
32 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes and 30 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bismarck?
7,798 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bismarck or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,677 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Bismarck have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 of 23 in North Dakota. 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 Bismarck 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 →