Photo: Ben Evans · Public domainLakeland has 5.1 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
49% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 120 acres are parks and preserves, 8.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #97 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
How much outdoors does Lakeland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lakeland is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #97 of 177 in Tennessee. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Lakeland’s 1% is ahead of 32% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% 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.
124 conserved acres
1% of Lakeland’s land. Who manages Lakeland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ih Managerial Park Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Cool Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Oakridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Windward Slopes Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| City Hall Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Plantation Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Zadie E. Kuehl Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
8 places to go in Lakeland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
4.4 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.
The walking year in Lakeland
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 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 49 | 54 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85 | 74 | 62 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
August is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.7 inches fall in March, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lakeland →
Lakeland and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Lakeland
How much of Lakeland 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.
Where can I bike in Lakeland?
4.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of painted or protected lanes and 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lakeland?
8,400 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lakeland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 120 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lakeland have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #97 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 Lakeland 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 →