Gering Courier Building · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Gering
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 4.0 miles of mapped trail cross Gering, 0.7 per square mile of land. 118 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #14 of 57 in Nebraska. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Gering?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Gering have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gering is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #14 of 57 in Nebraska. 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 Oregon Trail Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hampton Park
All 10 parks & preserves
91 conserved acres
3% of Gering’s land. Who manages Gering’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Scotts Bluff National Monument National Monument | National Park Service | 7 | Open |
| Northfield Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Hampton Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Mclellan Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Johannes Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Union Pacific Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Gardner Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Legion Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Gentry Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
15 places to go in Gering
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
3.8 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.
3 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.
The best walking months in Gering: April, June 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 44 | 54 | 62 | 71 | 83 | 90 | 88 | 79 | 64 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
January is the driest month (0.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 2.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Gering →
Gering and its neighbors
Gering has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gering | 3% | 0.7 | 14 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Terrytown | 6% | 1.3 | 64 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Scottsbluff | 7% | 0.2 | 25 | 92% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gering
Where can I hike in Gering?
The longest trail networks: Oregon Trail Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gering is conserved land?
3% 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 Gering’s trails?
Oregon Trail Park and McLellan Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gering?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes and 2.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Gering?
15,023 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gering or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 118 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Gering have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Gering 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 →