Harleman Park
Managed by City of Cornelius
11 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: M.O. Stevens · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cornelius
7% of Cornelius’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 7% of Cornelius’ land is conserved, about 112 acres. 59 acres are parks and preserves, 4.2 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #65 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
112 acres · of 2.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
59 ac
4.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.6 mi
5.9 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Cornelius?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cornelius have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cornelius is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #65 of 142 in Oregon. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cornelius’ overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical OR town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OR 0.8 · U.S. 0.4BPark land4.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (59 acres) · OR 7 · U.S. 13CParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · OR 96% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 55%
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 Harleman Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West Council Creek
Managed by Metro
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Free Orchards Park
Managed by City of Cornelius
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
East Council Creek
Managed by Metro
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Harleman Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Cornelius
DirectionsSteamboat Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Cornelius
West Council Creek11 acres · Metro
Free Orchards Park8 acres · City of Cornelius
East Council Creek7 acres · Metro
Laurel Woods Open Space7 acres
DirectionsMariposa Community Park7 acres · City of Cornelius
DirectionsDogwood Park3 acres · City of Cornelius
Water Park2 acres · City of Cornelius
DirectionsKings Bend1 acres · Metro
Satus Park1 acres · City of Cornelius
Tarrybrooke Park1 acres · City of Cornelius
DirectionsAlpine Park1 acres · City of Cornelius
DirectionsRyland Park1 acres · City of Cornelius
Who protects it
112 conserved acres
7% of Cornelius’ land. Who manages Cornelius’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city60 ac
Regional agency31 ac
Private owners20 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 45 acLocal Recreation Area · 33 acLocal Conservation Area · 13 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 11 acNot Designated · 6 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro School District Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Harleman Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Free Orchards Elementary School Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| East Council Creek Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Emmaus Christian Not Designated | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Echo Shaw Field Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| West Council Creek Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Council Creek Open Space Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 6 | Restricted |
| Cornelius Elementary School Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| City Greenspace Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Cornelius
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cornelius
22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Cornelius
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Cornelius
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
9.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Basketball
4Soccer
3Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Albert S. Sholes HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cornelius: April to 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 56 | 61 | 68 | 73 | 81 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 53 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 6.9 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.1 |
July is the driest month (0.4 in) and August the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 8.1 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Cornelius →
Next door
Cornelius and its neighbors
Cornelius 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornelius | 7% | 0.4 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Forest Grove | 12% | 1.2 | 11 | 94% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cornelius
Where can I hike in Cornelius?
The longest trail networks: Harleman Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cornelius is conserved land?
7% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Oregon town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Cornelius’ trails?
Harleman Park and West Council Creek don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cornelius?
9.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.9 of painted or protected lanes and 3.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cornelius?
12,588 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cornelius or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 59 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cornelius have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #65 of 142 in Oregon. 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 Cornelius 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 →