Wilderness Park Soccer Complex
Park
38 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Wilderness Park Parking
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Columbus
Columbus has 264 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Wilderness Park Soccer Complex (0.6 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Columbus’ land is conserved, about 249 acres.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #35 of 57 in Nebraska. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
249 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
3.3 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
264 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.3 mi
5.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Columbus?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Columbus have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Columbus is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #35 of 57 in Nebraska. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Columbus’ overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NE town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NE 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (264 acres) · NE 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · NE 90% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 59%
LessMore
Nebraska towns of 2,500+ (57)Ahead of 39%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Wilderness Park Soccer Complex, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 13 parks & preserves
Wilderness Park Soccer Complex38 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsFrankfort Square2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBradshaw Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Pawnee Park125 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGerrard Park26 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentennial Park Baseball Complex20 acres
Glur Park7 acres
Ag Park6 acres
Airport Park3 acres
Hanover Square2 acres
Berne Square Park2 acres
Gruenther Park1 acres · City of Columbus
DirectionsFountain Square1 acres
Who protects it
249 conserved acres
4% of Columbus’ land. Who manages Columbus’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city249 ac
Local Park · 191 acLocal Recreation Area · 58 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawnee Park Local Park | Town or city | 123 | Open |
| Wilderness Park Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Gerrard Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Bradshaw Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Glur Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Airport Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Buffalo Square Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Hanover Square Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Frankfort Square Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Columbus
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Columbus
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Columbus
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Columbus
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Columbus
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Soccer
16Tennis
15Baseball
5Football
3Volleyball
1Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Glur's TavernBuilding · listed 1975
About itC. Segelke BuildingBuilding · listed 1982
About itFrederick L. and L. Frederick Gottschalk HousesBuilding · listed 1982
About itH. E. Snyder HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itPlatte County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itDr. Carroll D. and Lorena R. North Evans HouseDistrict · listed 1991
About itColumbus Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996
About itWalter and Ruby Behlen HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itAlbert and Lina Stenger HouseBuilding · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Columbus
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 51 | 62 | 73 | 83 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Columbus →
Next door
Columbus and its neighbors
Columbus has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 4% | 0.3 | 11 | 89% | B |
| Columbus Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 38 | 15% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Columbus
Where can I hike in Columbus?
The longest trail networks: Wilderness Park Soccer Complex, 0.6 miles; Frankfort Square, 0.3 miles; Pawnee Park, 0.1 miles; Gerrard Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Columbus is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Nebraska town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Columbus’ trails?
Wilderness Park Soccer Complex and Frankfort Square don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Columbus?
5.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Columbus?
1,010 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Columbus or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 264 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Columbus have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #35 of 57 in Nebraska. 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 Columbus 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 →