Watford City has 5.5 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
48% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 57 acres are parks and preserves, 9.4 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns · #19 of 23 in North Dakota. What drives it
How much outdoors does Watford City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Watford City is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #19 of 23 in North Dakota. Trail miles hold 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
23 places to go in Watford City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 4 campgrounds without a name on the map.
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
0.2 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.
The best walking months in Watford City: May and July to 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 84 | 84 | 73 | 56 | 39 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
February is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Watford City →
Questions about parks and trails in Watford City
How much of Watford City is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Watford City’s trails?
Tourist Park and Bolken Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Watford City?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Watford City?
35,711 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Watford City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 57 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Watford City have?
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Watford 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 →