Photo: MMarshall at English Wikipedia · Public domainKearney has 8.2 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Meadowlark North Park (2.8 mi), Ted Baldwin Park (1.6 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Kearney’s land is conserved, about 380 acres.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #25 of 57 in Nebraska. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Kearney?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Kearney have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kearney is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #25 of 57 in Nebraska. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
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 Meadowlark North Park, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 13 parks & preserves
380 conserved acres
4% of Kearney’s land. Who manages Kearney’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yanney Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Meadowlark North Park Local Park | Town or city | 82 | Open |
| Patriot Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Ted Baldwin Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Harvey Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| West Lincoln Way Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Harmon Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Memorial Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Fountain Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
15 places to go in Kearney
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 lakes & rivers
12 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.
15 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.
3 more on the History page.
September is the best month for walking in Kearney
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 53 | 63 | 72 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Kearney →
Questions about parks and trails in Kearney
Where can I hike in Kearney?
The longest trail networks: Meadowlark North Park, 2.8 miles; Ted Baldwin Park, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kearney 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 Kearney’s trails?
Meadowlark North Park and Ted Baldwin Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kearney?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Kearney?
1,412 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kearney or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 457 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Kearney have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #25 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 Kearney 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 →