Sunset Ridge Nature Reserve
Nature preserve
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: M.O. Stevens · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in North Plains
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in North Plains
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 0.8 miles of mapped trail cross North Plains, 0.7 per square mile of land. 13 acres are parks and preserves, 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #110 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
0 acres · of 1.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
13 ac
3.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.0 mi
1.0 mi lanes · 1.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is North Plains?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Plains have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Plains is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #110 of 142 in Oregon. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Plains’ overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical OR town 4% · U.S. 4%DTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OR 0.8 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land3.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (13 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 48%
LessMore
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 23%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
Sunset Ridge West Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSunset Ridge Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Sunset Ridge Nature Reserve4 acres
Jessie Mays Community Park2 acres
DirectionsVern Galaway Memorial Park2 acres
DirectionsPacific Purple Park1 acres
DirectionsThings to do
12 places to go in North Plains
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Plains
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in North Plains
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
5Basketball
1Tennis
1Soccer
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in North Plains: 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 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 56 | 61 | 68 | 73 | 81 | 81 | 76 | 63 | 52 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 6.0 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 6.0 | 7.1 |
July is the driest month (0.4 in) and August the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 7.1 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in North Plains →
Questions about parks and trails in North Plains
Where can I hike in North Plains?
The longest trail networks: Sunset Ridge West Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Plains is conserved land?
under 1% 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 North Plains’ trails?
Sunset Ridge Nature Reserve and Sunset Ridge West Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Plains?
3.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes and 1.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Plains?
15,170 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Plains or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 13 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North Plains have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #110 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 North Plains 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 →