Few parks or trails are on the map in Valley
2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Valley, 0.5 per square mile of land. 44% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 17 acres are parks and preserves, 5.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 25% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Valley is ahead of 25% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Water is 18% of Valley’s area (1 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read under 1%.
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 Valley City Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
20 places to go in Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
10 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
6 lakes & rivers
1.7 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.
The best walking months in Valley: April 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 83 | 87 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Valley →
Valley and its neighbors
Valley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley | under 1% | 0.5 | 5 | 44% | C |
| Leshara Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Valley
Where can I hike in Valley?
The longest trail networks: Valley City Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Valley is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Valley’s trails?
Valley City Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Valley?
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Valley?
4,585 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 17 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Valley have?
Ahead of 25% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Valley 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 →