Richland Park
Park
98 acres1.3 mi of trail
MTB Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Portland
Portland has 132 acres of parks, 9.8 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Richland Park (1.3 mi). 31% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Portland’s land is conserved, about 124 acres.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #96 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
124 acres · of 15.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
132 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Portland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Portland is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #96 of 177 in Tennessee. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Portland’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (132 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home31% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 30%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 46%
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Portland’s 1% is ahead of 46% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 57% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to 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 Richland Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Meadowbrook Park
Park
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Portland City Park
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
124 conserved acres
1% of Portland’s land. Who manages Portland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city116 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits9 ac
Local Park · 116 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Park Local Park | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Meadowbrook Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Elvis Brown Little League Park Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 9 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Portland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Portland
Richland Park Community PoolIn Richland Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Portland
Richland Park PlaygroundIn Richland Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Portland
MeadowBark ParkIn Meadowbrook Park
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.5 miUnpaved · 1.5 mi
MTB Trail1.5 mi
Cart Path0.4 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
13Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Portland: 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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 45 | 51 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 82 | 71 | 59 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.9 |
October is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Portland →
Questions about parks and trails in Portland
Where can I hike in Portland?
The longest trail networks: Richland Park, 1.3 miles; EMPLOYEE GREENSPACE, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Portland 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 Portland’s trails?
Richland Park and Meadowbrook Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Portland?
804 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Portland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 132 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Portland have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #96 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 Portland 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 →