Photo: AppalachianCentrist · CC BY-SA 4.05% of Jefferson City’s land is conserved: 240 acres
The biggest trail networks: Centennial Park (0.6 mi), Johnson Ball Park (0.5 mi). 59 acres are parks and preserves, 6.9 per 1,000 residents. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson City, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #58 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
How much outdoors does Jefferson City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson City is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #58 of 177 in Tennessee. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Jefferson City’s 5% is ahead of 80% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 48% 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
The longest trail network is Centennial Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Johnson Ball Park
Nelson Merry Park
Glenmore Mansion
All 6 parks & preserves
240 conserved acres
5% of Jefferson City’s land. Who manages Jefferson City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 96 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 9 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Not Designated | Tennessee Valley Authority | 102 | Unknown |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Johnson Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Nelson Merry Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Mossy Creek Wildlife Viewing Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
8 places to go in Jefferson City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
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 map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Jefferson City: 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 | 52 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 82 | 71 | 60 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 |
October is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in March, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Jefferson City →
Jefferson City and its neighbors
Jefferson City has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson City | 5% | 0.2 | 7 | 63% | C+ |
| New Market | under 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 38% | C− |
| Morristown | 3% | 0.4 | 12 | 57% | B− |
| Dandridge | 6% | under 0.1 | 25 | 7% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jefferson City
Where can I hike in Jefferson City?
The longest trail networks: Centennial Park, 0.6 miles; Johnson Ball Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson City is conserved land?
5% 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 Jefferson City’s trails?
Centennial Park and Johnson Ball Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jefferson City?
1,829 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 59 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson City have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #58 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 Jefferson City 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 →