Hightower Park
Park
14 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Altus
8% of Altus’ land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
23 miles of mapped trail cross Altus, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Hightower Park (1.3 mi), Wings of Freedom Park (0.7 mi). 8% of Altus’ land is conserved, about 890 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #3 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
890 acres · of 18.2 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
456 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.5 mi
2.5 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Altus?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Altus have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Altus is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #3 of 131 in Oklahoma. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Altus’ overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical OK town 7% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · OK 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (456 acres) · OK 10 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · OK 62% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Oklahoma towns of 2,500+ (131)Ahead of 98%
Oklahoma towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Altus’ 8% is ahead of 58% of Oklahoma towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Hightower Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Altus City Lake Hoyt Shadid Park
Managed by City of Altus
243 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Altus Community Center/Lake Parking
H "Bill" Luderson Memorial Park
Park
54 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Hightower Park14 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Wings of Freedom Park8 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsAltus City Lake Hoyt Shadid Park243 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Altus
DirectionsH "Bill" Luderson Memorial Park54 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Missile Park and Baseball Fields24 acres
DirectionsQuail Run Park22 acres
Imagination Station Park9 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Ball Park7 acres
Indian Hills Park5 acres
High Tower Park4 acres
Heritage Way Park 14 acres
Sequioa Playground4 acres
University Heights Park3 acres
Heritage Park3 acres
Ashley Park3 acres
Hairston Park2 acres
Southwest Park1 acres · City of Altus
Heritage Way Park 21 acres
Who protects it
890 conserved acres
8% of Altus’ land. Who manages Altus’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State land board794 ac
Town or city110 ac
State Resource Management Area · 794 acLocal Park · 87 acLocal Recreation Area · 23 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLO Lands State Resource Management Area | State land board | 794 | Restricted |
| Hoyt Shadid Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Missile Park & Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Hightower Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Lincoln Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Imagination Station Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Indian Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| University Heights Park #1 Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Altus
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Altus
Capehart Playground
DirectionsMy Little Kingdom
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Altus
Altus Dog ParkIn Altus City Lake Hoyt Shadid Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Altus
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Altus
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
19Baseball
18Tennis
9Basketball
2Soccer
2Football
1Equestrian
1Softball
1Beach volleyball
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). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Jackson County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itW. C. Baker HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itWichita Falls & Northwestern Railroad Passenger DepotBuilding · listed 2008
About itJackson County Courthouse and JailBuilding · listed 2008
About itElmer and Lela Garnett HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itFrazer CemeterySite · listed 2011
About itDowntown Altus Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2018
About itAltus Junior College LibraryBuilding · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Altus
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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 53 | 57 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 93 | 97 | 96 | 87 | 76 | 64 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 97 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 97 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Altus →
Questions about parks and trails in Altus
Where can I hike in Altus?
The longest trail networks: Hightower Park, 1.3 miles; Wings of Freedom Park, 0.7 miles; Altus City Lake Hoyt Shadid Park, 0.4 miles; H "Bill" Luderson Memorial Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Altus is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 7% for an Oklahoma town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Altus’ trails?
Hightower Park and Wings of Freedom Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Altus?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Altus?
758 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Altus or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 456 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Altus have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 of 131 in Oklahoma. 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 Altus 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 →