Ruby Grant Park
Managed by City of Norman
136 acres3.4 mi of trail
Foster Walking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bizzell Library, University of Oklahoma · Photo: T3h wookiee · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Norman
14% of Norman’s land is conserved: 16,198 acres
8,283 acres are parks and preserves, 64 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Ruby Grant Park (3.4 mi), Sutton Urban Wilderness Park (2.1 mi), John H. Saxon, Junior Memorial Park (1.8 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #9 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
16,198 acres · of 178.7 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
8,283 ac
64 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
12 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Highest peak
1,214 ft
Fort Hill
Lakes & rivers
26
9 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Norman?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Norman have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Norman is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #9 of 131 in Oklahoma. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Norman’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical OK town 7% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · OK 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land64 acres of park per 1,000 residents (8,283 acres) · OK 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home87% of residents within a half mile of a park · OK 62% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Oklahoma towns of 2,500+ (131)Ahead of 94%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Norman ranks #180 on Outdoors.
Oklahoma towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Norman’s 14% is ahead of 79% of Oklahoma towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% of them.
Water is 6% of Norman’s area (11 of 189 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.
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 Ruby Grant Park, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sutton Urban Wilderness Park
Managed by City of Norman
219 acres2.1 mi of trail
Sutton Wilderness Perimeter Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John H. Saxon, Junior Memorial Park
Park
69 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Reaves Park
Managed by City of Norman
74 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Griffin Park and Disc Golf Course
Park
46 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brandt Park
Managed by University of Oklahoma
25 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Eagle Cliff Park
Managed by City of Norman
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rotary Park
Managed by City of Norman
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 69 parks & preserves
Ruby Grant Park136 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsSutton Urban Wilderness Park219 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsJohn H. Saxon, Junior Memorial Park69 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsReaves Park74 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsGriffin Park and Disc Golf Course46 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBrandt Park25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · University of Oklahoma
DirectionsEagle Cliff Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Norman
Rotary Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsSongbird Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Northeast Lions Park37 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsBerkeley Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Norman
Adkins Crossing Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsLegacy Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · The City of Norman
DirectionsLions Memorial Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Norman
DirectionsWilliam Morgan Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Norman
Griffin Community Park87 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsAndrews Park21 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsFalls Lakeview Park19 acres
DirectionsColonial Estates Park17 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsFrances Cate Park17 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsWoodcreek Park16 acres · City of Norman
Westwood Park12 acres · City of Norman
Boyd R. Gunning Park10 acres
DirectionsLegacy Trail Park10 acres
DirectionsEastridge Park8 acres · City of Norman
Eastwood Park8 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsBrookhaven Park7 acres · City of Norman
Cherry Creek Park7 acres · City of Norman
Crestland Park6 acres · City of Norman
Royal Oaks Park5 acres · City of Norman
South Oval5 acres · University of Oklahoma
DirectionsRussell Bates Park4 acres · City of Norman
Lions Park4 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsColonial Commons Park4 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsMonroe Park4 acres
DirectionsAdult Welness & Education Center4 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsHeisman Park4 acres
DirectionsCastlerock Park4 acres · City of Norman
Cascade Park4 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsVineyard Park4 acres · City of Norman
Woodslawn Park4 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsHigh Meadows Park4 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsSutton Place Park3 acres · City of Norman
Chisholm's Cattle Trail Park3 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsNormandy Park3 acres
Tull’s Park3 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsWalnut Ridge Park3 acres · City of Norman
Prickly Park3 acres · Forgotten Parcels LLC
Prairie Creek Park2 acres · City of Norman
David Burr Park2 acres
DirectionsKevin Gottshall Memorial Park2 acres · City of Norman
Kiwanis Park2 acres · City of Norman
Oak Tree South Park2 acres
Hall Park2 acres
DirectionsDeerfield Park2 acres · City of Norman
Peggy Stephenson Park1 acres · University of Oklahoma
DirectionsSummit Lakes Park1 acres · City of Norman
Bird Sanctuary1 acres
Sunrise Park1 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsSonoma Park1 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsOakhurst Park1 acres · City of Norman
Pebblebrook Park1 acres · Cityf of Norman
DirectionsWalker-Adams Mall1 acres
DirectionsJune Benson Park1 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsCanadian Trails Park1 acres · City of Norman
Doubletree Park1 acres · City of Norman
Earl Sneed Park1 acres · City of Norman
McGeorge Park1 acres · City of Norman
DirectionsReunion Park1 acres · University of Oklahoma
DirectionsWho protects it
16,198 conserved acres
14% of Norman’s land. Water is left out: Norman has 178.7 square miles of land and 10.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Norman’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State land board8,772 ac
State parks7,186 ac
Town or city643 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)538 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits527 ac
Other state land477 ac
State Resource Management Area · 8,772 acState Park · 7,363 acAgricultural Easement · 684 acLocal Park · 614 acConservation Easement · 381 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 544 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 78 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLO Lands State Resource Management Area | State land board | 8,772 | Restricted |
| Lake Thunderbird State Park State Park | State parks | 7,186 | Open |
| Sutton Wilderness State Recreation Area | Other state land | 222 | Open |
| Griffin Memorial State Park | Other state land | 157 | Open |
| Ruby Grant Local Park | Town or city | 136 | Open |
| Oliver's Woods State Conservation Area | Other state land | 78 | Restricted |
| Reaves Local Park | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| John H. Saxon Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| N.E. Lion'S Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Andrews Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
107 places to go in Norman
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Norman
Cascade Estates Neighborhood Pool
DirectionsChildren's Splash PadIn Andrews Park
DirectionsVarsity House Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Norman
Berkeley ParkIn Berkeley Park
DirectionsBrookhaven ParkIn Brookhaven Park
DirectionsCascade Estates Park PlaygroundIn Cascade Park
DirectionsEastridge ParkIn Eastridge Park
DirectionsHall Park PlaygroundIn Hall Park
DirectionsKiwanis ParkIn Kiwanis Park
DirectionsLion's ParkIn Lions Memorial Park
DirectionsSpringbrook Park
Directions2 more playgrounds
William Morgan ParkIn William Morgan Park
DirectionsWilliam Morgan ParkIn William Morgan Park
Directions84 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Norman
Anatole at Norman Dog Park
DirectionsNorman Community Dog Park
DirectionsRuby Grant Dog ParkIn Ruby Grant Park
DirectionsVarsity House Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Norman
9 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Norman
Fort Hill1,214 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Norman
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Norman
Hickory Hill CampgroundFee
DirectionsHog Creek CampgroundFee
DirectionsLittle Sandy CampgroundFee
DirectionsDisc golf in Norman
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 26 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.6 miUnpaved · 17.6 mi
Scissortail Loop2.3 mi
Sand Surge1.7 mi
Lake View Loop1.7 mi
Foster Walking Trail1.5 mi
Tadpole Loop1.4 mi
Sutton Wilderness Perimeter Path1.4 mi
Indian Point Hiking Trail1.2 mi
Thunderbird Loop0.8 mi
Little River Cut0.7 mi
Tailwind Express0.6 mi
3 more trails
Cross Timber Pass
0.6 miSand Bass Pass
0.5 miLakeview Loop
0.4 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Cambridge LakeCedar LakeDuck PondHall Park LakereservoirHeron LakeHidden LakeLake ThunderbirdreservoirLiberty National Bank & Trust ReservoirOknoname 02708 ReservoirOknoname 02709 ReservoirOknoname 02710 ReservoirOknoname 02711 ReservoirOknoname 02713 ReservoirreservoirOknoname 02714 ReservoirOknoname 02715 ReservoirreservoirOknoname 02717 ReservoirreservoirOknoname 02719 ReservoirOknoname 02720 ReservoirreservoirOknoname 02723 ReservoirOknoname 02733 ReservoirReynolds LakereservoirSecret LakeStrawberry LakelakeSummit LakeWillow LakeCanadian River
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Proposed Norman Bicycle RouteBike route
1.4 miCourts & fields
59Tennis
40Baseball
37Soccer
33Basketball
11Football
6Pickleball
4Softball
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →23 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 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
President's House, University of OklahomaBuilding · listed 1976
About itSooner Theater BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itNorman Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itBeta Theta Pi Fraternity House, The University of OklahomaBuilding · listed 1982
About itMoore-Lindsay HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itOscar B. Jacobson HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itCasa BlancaBuilding · listed 1990
About itSanta Fe DepotBuilding · listed 1991
About itPatricio Gimeno HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itCleveland County CourthouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itNorman Public LibraryBuilding · listed 2000
About it11 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Norman
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) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 50 | 55 | 64 | 73 | 80 | 88 | 93 | 93 | 85 | 74 | 62 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 5.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Norman →
Next door
Norman and its neighbors
Norman has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman | 14% | 0.2 | 64 | 87% | A− |
| Moore | 2% | 0.8 | 5 | 75% | B− |
| Oklahoma City | 10% | 0.3 | 24 | 66% | B+ |
| Noble | 11% | under 0.1 | 7 | 32% | C |
| Newcastle | 6% | 0.4 | 8 | 29% | C+ |
| Slaughterville | 5% | under 0.1 | 2 | 5% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Norman
Where can I hike in Norman?
The longest trail networks: Ruby Grant Park, 3.4 miles; Sutton Urban Wilderness Park, 2.1 miles; John H. Saxon, Junior Memorial Park, 1.8 miles; Reaves Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Norman is conserved land?
14% 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 Norman’s trails?
Ruby Grant Park and Sutton Urban Wilderness Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Norman?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths. Named routes: Proposed Norman Bicycle Route.
Is there public land near Norman?
15,467 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Norman or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,283 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Norman have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Norman 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 →