Photo: Crimsonedge34 · CC BY-SA 3.015% of Lawton’s land is conserved: 7,855 acres
The biggest trail networks: Elmer Thomas Park (1.7 mi), Artillery Park (1 mi), Pig Farm ATV Area (0.8 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 45 miles of mapped trail cross Lawton, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #10 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Lawton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Lawton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lawton is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #10 of 131 in Oklahoma. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Oklahoma towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Lawton’s 15% is ahead of 81% of Oklahoma towns, while its trails per square mile lead 83% of them.
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 Elmer Thomas Park, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pig Farm ATV Area
Bantley Gardens & McCasland Family Pond
Greer Park
Liberty Lake Park
All 63 parks & preserves
7,855 conserved acres
15% of Lawton’s land. Who manages Lawton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 349 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 83 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLO Lands State Resource Management Area | State land board | 6,929 | Restricted |
| Elmer Thomas Park Local Park | Town or city | 157 | Open |
| Louise D. Mcmahon Park Local Park | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| East Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Ahlschlager Park Local Park | County | 27 | Open |
| Grandview Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| O.H.Arnold Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Gore Median Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Harold Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Mcmahon Soccer Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
63 places to go in Lawton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
47 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
8 more peaks
3 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
9.2 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.
22 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
10 more on the History page.
April is the best month for walking in Lawton
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 | 74 | 82 | 91 | 96 | 95 | 87 | 76 | 63 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lawton →
Questions about parks and trails in Lawton
Where can I hike in Lawton?
The longest trail networks: Elmer Thomas Park, 1.7 miles; Artillery Park, 1 miles; Pig Farm ATV Area, 0.8 miles; Bantley Gardens & McCasland Family Pond, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lawton is conserved land?
15% 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 Lawton’s trails?
Elmer Thomas Park and Artillery Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lawton?
9.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 9.1 of off-road paths. Named routes: Cameron to Post Connector, Rock Island Connector and Elmer Thomas Connector.
Is there public land near Lawton?
1,693 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lawton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,148 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lawton have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 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 Lawton 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 →