Dogwood Park
Managed by City of Cookeville
11 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cookeville
Cookeville has 540 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Dogwood Park (0.6 mi). 5.5 miles of mapped trail cross Cookeville, 0.2 per square mile of land. 2% of Cookeville’s land is conserved, about 458 acres.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns · #64 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
458 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
5.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
540 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
60%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.3 mi
0.6 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
Highest peak
1,339 ft
Pilot Knob
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cookeville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cookeville is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns, #64 of 177 in Tennessee. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cookeville’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (540 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home60% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 42%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 64%
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Cookeville’s 2% is ahead of 59% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 44% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be C+. 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 Dogwood Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lab Science Commons Yard
Managed by Tennessee Tech
3 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cane Creek Park
Managed by City of Cookeville
147 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 16 parks & preserves
Dogwood Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Cookeville
DirectionsLab Science Commons Yard3 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Tennessee Tech
DirectionsPresident's Yard5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCane Creek Park147 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Cookeville
DirectionsPutnam County Sports Complex82 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Cookeville
DirectionsTennessee Tech Intramural Fields14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWalnut Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Cookeville
DirectionsTTU Fine Arts Outdoor Patio1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJere Whitson Park35 acres
DirectionsParkview Park23 acres
DirectionsEnsor Sink Natural Area18 acres
DirectionsCapshaw Park6 acres · City of Cookeville
DirectionsWest End Park3 acres · City of Cookeville
DirectionsCinderella Park1 acres
DirectionsCookeville Square1 acres
DirectionsFranklin Avenue Park1 acres
Who protects it
458 conserved acres
2% of Cookeville’s land. Who manages Cookeville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city292 ac
County152 ac
Other state land14 ac
Local Park · 251 acLocal Recreation Area · 192 acLocal Conservation Area · 15 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cane Creek Lake & Park Local Park | Town or city | 160 | Open |
| Cane Creek Sportsplex, Ballfields & Recreation Ctr Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 93 | Open |
| Upper Cumberland Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | County | 86 | Open |
| Putnam County Fairgrounds Local Park | County | 42 | Open |
| Ensor Sink Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Parkview Ballfields Local Recreation Area | County | 13 | Open |
| Putnam County Community Center & Pool Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Dogwood Park & Cookeville History Museum Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Sherlock Park Local Park | Other state land | 8 | Open |
| President'S Yard Local Park | Other state land | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Cookeville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cookeville
Collegeside Playground
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Cookeville
The Gables Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Cookeville
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Cookeville
Pilot Knob1,339 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Cookeville
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
28Baseball
25Tennis
24Soccer
9Basketball
5Beach volleyball
5Football
3Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Arcade, TheBuilding · listed 1979
About itCookeville Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1985
About itHenderson HallBuilding · listed 1985
About itHarding StudioBuilding · listed 1992
About itBroad Street Church of ChristBuilding · listed 2002
About itFirst Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 2010
About itJohn's PlaceBuilding · listed 2011
About itUnited States Post Office and Court HouseBuilding · listed 2014
About itScience Building, TheBuilding · listed 2017
About itRalph’s Donut ShopBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cookeville: April to June
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 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 60 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 81 | 71 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 6.1 |
October is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 6.1 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Cookeville →
Next door
Cookeville and its neighbors
Cookeville has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookeville | 2% | 0.2 | 15 | 60% | C+ |
| Algood | under 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 57% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cookeville
Where can I hike in Cookeville?
The longest trail networks: Dogwood Park, 0.6 miles; Lab Science Commons Yard, 0.4 miles; President's Yard, 0.3 miles; Cane Creek Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cookeville is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Tennessee town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Cookeville’s trails?
Dogwood Park and Lab Science Commons Yard don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cookeville?
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes and 3.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cookeville?
6,929 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cookeville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 540 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cookeville have?
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #64 of 177 in Tennessee. 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 Cookeville 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 →