Poe Corn Park
Park
22 acres0.5 mi of trail
Poe Corn walkpath
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto PoolWebsite ↗
Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Roswell
Roswell has 28 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Poe Corn Park (0.5 mi), Melendez Park (0.5 mi). 2% of Roswell’s land is conserved, about 384 acres.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #31 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
384 acres · of 29.7 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
653 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
4.4 mi lanes · 6.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Roswell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Roswell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Roswell is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #31 of 73 in New Mexico. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Roswell’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical NM town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · NM 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (653 acres) · NM 7 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home91% of residents within a half mile of a park · NM 67% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 69%
LessMore
New Mexico towns of 2,500+ (73)Ahead of 58%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. 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 Poe Corn Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Melendez Park
Park
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Melendez Park WalkwayMelendez Park walkpath
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Noon Optimist Park
Park
29 acres0.3 mi of trail
Noon Optimist walkpath
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Stiles Park
Park
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Stiles' Park Walkpath
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Alice Reischman Smith Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Alice Reischmann Smith Park walkpath
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Poe Corn Park22 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMelendez Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Noon Optimist Park29 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsUniversity Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsStiles Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Alice Reischman Smith Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Martin Luther King Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Air Center Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
JC Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAltursa Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCarpenter Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Cielo Grande Park190 acres
DirectionsCahoon Park33 acres
DirectionsSpring River Park24 acres
DirectionsDeKay Park16 acres
DirectionsEnchanted Lands Park15 acres
DirectionsBerrendo Park12 acres
Stapp Parade Field11 acres
DirectionsDelta West Park10 acres
DirectionsLoveless Park9 acres
DirectionsLinda Vista Park5 acres
Cielo Grande Second Park Area5 acres
DirectionsDel Norte Park5 acres
DirectionsMissouri Avenue Park4 acres
DirectionsSertoma Neighborhood Park3 acres
DirectionsMargot M. Purdy Park2 acres
DirectionsAsa Guffey Park2 acres
POW/MIA Park2 acres
DirectionsFifth Street Park1 acres
Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
384 conserved acres
2% of Roswell’s land. Who manages Roswell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city380 ac
State land board4 ac
Local Park · 371 acLocal Conservation Area · 9 acState Resource Management Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Future Park Expansion Area Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Roswell Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Cielo Grande Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Enchanted Lands Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Stiles Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Cahoon Park West Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Poe Corn Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Randy Willis Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Noon Optimist Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Tierra Berrenda Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
84 places to go in Roswell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Roswell
Cahoon Park PoolIn Cahoon Park
DirectionsLinda Vista Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Roswell
53 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Roswell
Woof Bowl Dog Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Roswell
28 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.3 mi
Walkpath1.0 mi
Noon Optimist walkpath0.4 mi
Walkway0.4 mi
Melendez Park Walkway0.4 mi
Martin Luther King Park walkpath0.4 mi
Stiles' Park Walkpath0.4 mi
Poe Corn walkpath0.3 mi
Rio Hondo Trail0.3 mi
Altrusa Park walkpath0.3 mi
Alice Reischmann Smith Park walkpath0.3 mi
3 more trails
Carpenter Park Walkpath
0.2 miMelendez Park walkpath
0.2 miDriftwood Place
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Hondo River Recreation TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
78Golf
37Tennis
35Baseball
26Soccer
17Basketball
3Volleyball
3Football
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
James Phelps White HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itLouise Massey HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itSaunders-Crosby HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itDowntown Roswell Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itNew Mexico Military Institute Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itRobert H. Goddard HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itMillhiser-Baker FarmBuilding · listed 1988
About itMilne-Bush RanchBuilding · listed 1988
About itSlaughter-Hill RanchBuilding · listed 1988
About itUrton OrchardsBuilding · listed 1988
About itChaves County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itRoswell Artist-in-Residence CompoundDistrict · listed 2017
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Roswell
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) | 10.2 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.3 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 58 | 63 | 71 | 79 | 88 | 96 | 96 | 94 | 87 | 78 | 66 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
February is the driest month (0.4 in) and June the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 2.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Roswell →
Questions about parks and trails in Roswell
Where can I hike in Roswell?
The longest trail networks: Poe Corn Park, 0.5 miles; Melendez Park, 0.5 miles; Noon Optimist Park, 0.3 miles; University Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Roswell is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 4% for a New Mexico town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Roswell’s trails?
Poe Corn Park and Melendez Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Roswell?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.4 of painted or protected lanes and 6.6 of off-road paths. Named routes: Hondo River Recreation Trail.
Is there public land near Roswell?
110,952 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Roswell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 656 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Roswell have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 of 73 in New Mexico. 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 Roswell 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 →