Kelley Park
Park
36 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in McCook
McCook has 111 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.5 miles of mapped trail cross McCook, 0.4 per square mile of land. 3% of McCook’s land is conserved, about 105 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #31 of 57 in Nebraska. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
105 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
2.5 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
111 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is McCook?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does McCook have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, McCook is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #31 of 57 in Nebraska. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of McCook’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical NE town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NE 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (111 acres) · NE 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home84% 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 62%
LessMore
Nebraska towns of 2,500+ (57)Ahead of 46%
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 Kelley Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
Kelley Park36 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Norris Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKarrer Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBennett Park51 acres
DirectionsFelling Park4 acres
Elks City Park1 acres
Who protects it
105 conserved acres
3% of McCook’s land. Who manages McCook’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city105 ac
Local Park · 105 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnett Park Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Kelley Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Karrer Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Felling Field Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Norris Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Russell Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Elks City Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in McCook
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in McCook
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in McCook
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Golf
9Tennis
5Baseball
4Football
2Beach volleyball
2Basketball
1Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in McCook
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 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 57 | 65 | 75 | 86 | 92 | 89 | 82 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
January is the driest month (0.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 3.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in McCook →
Questions about parks and trails in McCook
Where can I hike in McCook?
The longest trail networks: Kelley Park, 0.4 miles; Norris Park, 0.3 miles; Karrer Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of McCook 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 McCook’s trails?
Kelley Park and Norris Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in McCook?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near McCook?
1,089 acres of parks and open public land lie inside McCook or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 111 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does McCook have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 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 McCook 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 →