Valley City Municipal Auditorium · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Valley City
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 2.9 miles of mapped trail cross Valley City, 0.7 per square mile of land. 96 acres are parks and preserves, 15 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #2 of 23 in North Dakota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Valley City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Valley City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Valley City is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #2 of 23 in North Dakota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
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 Medicine Wheel Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riverview Park
All 8 parks & preserves
80 conserved acres
3% of Valley City’s land. Who manages Valley City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Wheel Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Hi Line Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Chautauqua Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Hinschberger Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Valley City Skate Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
13 places to go in Valley City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
2.6 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.
9 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.
September is the best month for walking in Valley City
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 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 18 | 23 | 36 | 54 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 71 | 55 | 38 | 24 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Valley City →
Questions about parks and trails in Valley City
Where can I hike in Valley City?
The longest trail networks: Medicine Wheel Park, 0.1 miles; City Park, 0.2 miles; Riverview Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Valley City is conserved land?
3% 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 Valley City’s trails?
Medicine Wheel Park and City Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Valley City?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Valley City?
196 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Valley City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 96 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Valley City have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 Valley City 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 →