Photo: Ralf Peter Reimann · CC BY-SA 2.0Dickson has 282 acres of parks, 17 for every 1,000 residents
30% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Dickson’s land is conserved, about 161 acres. 2.7 miles of mapped trail cross Dickson, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns · #94 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
How much outdoors does Dickson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dickson is ahead of 31% of U.S. towns, #94 of 177 in Tennessee. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Dickson’s 1% is ahead of 43% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 40% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
161 conserved acres
1% of Dickson’s land. Who manages Dickson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckner Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 142 | Open |
| Tennsco Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 18 | Open |
11 places to go in Dickson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
3 lakes & rivers
0.0 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.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Dickson: April and 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 | 52 | 61 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 82 | 72 | 60 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 5.0 |
September is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Dickson →
Questions about parks and trails in Dickson
How much of Dickson is conserved land?
1% 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 Dickson’s trails?
Henslee Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dickson?
4,237 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dickson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 282 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Dickson have?
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #94 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 Dickson 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 →