Torpin
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in O'Neill
O'Neill has 63 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.2 miles of mapped trail cross O'Neill, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of O'Neill’s land is conserved, about 61 acres.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns · #37 of 57 in Nebraska. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
61 acres · of 2.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
63 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.1 mi
1.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is O'Neill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does O'Neill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, O'Neill is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns, #37 of 57 in Nebraska. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of O'Neill’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NE town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · NE 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (63 acres) · NE 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · NE 90% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 58%
LessMore
Nebraska towns of 2,500+ (57)Ahead of 36%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gil Poese Recreational Area
Nature preserve
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ford Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lions Kiddie Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
61 conserved acres
4% of O'Neill’s land. Who manages O'Neill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city61 ac
Local Park · 51 acLocal Recreation Area · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schaffer Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Carney Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Torpins Soccer Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Ford Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Tara Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in O'Neill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in O'Neill
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Baseball
2Basketball
1Volleyball
1Equestrian
1Football
1Tennis
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Old Nebraska State Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 1974
About itGolden HotelBuilding · listed 1989
About itHolt County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itUS Post Office-O'NeillBuilding · listed 1992
About itO'Neill Carnegie LibraryBuilding · listed 2018
About itSt. Patrick’s Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 2020
About itW.J. Biglin HouseBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in O'Neill
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 48 | 59 | 70 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in O'Neill →
Questions about parks and trails in O'Neill
How much of O'Neill 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 O'Neill’s trails?
Torpin and Gil Poese Recreational Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in O'Neill?
1.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near O'Neill?
63 acres of parks and open public land lie inside O'Neill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 63 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does O'Neill have?
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 O'Neill 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 →