Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
52 acres2.1 mi of trail
Meadow LoopBluff LoopMain Pond TrailBoulder Path
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Arlington
8% of Arlington’s land is conserved: 4,639 acres
The biggest trail networks: Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve (2.1 mi), Stovall Park (1.3 mi), Harold Patterson Sports Center (0.9 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 46 miles of mapped trail cross Arlington, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #129 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
4,639 acres · of 95.8 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,080 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
72 mi
7.5 mi lanes · 52 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
13
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Arlington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Arlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Arlington is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #129 of 642 in Texas. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Arlington’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,080 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home85% of residents within a half mile of a park · TX 69% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 80%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Arlington ranks #278 on Outdoors.
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Arlington’s 8% is ahead of 86% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. 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 Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harold Patterson Sports Center
Park
121 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Martin Luther King Jr. Sports Center
Park
97 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bob Cook Park
Park
13 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Richard Greene Linear Park
Managed by City of Arlington Parks & Recreations Department
47 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 91 parks & preserves
Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve52 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsStovall Park52 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHarold Patterson Sports Center121 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsMartin Luther King Jr. Sports Center97 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsVandergriff Park82 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDoug Russell Park15 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBob Cook Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Richard Greene Linear Park47 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Arlington Parks & Recreations Department
DirectionsF.J Red Kane Park21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Winbledon Park16 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Brantley Hinshaw Park14 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Randol Mill Park110 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsClif Nelson Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
California Lane Park8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Crystal Canyon Nature Reserve37 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDeaver Park18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMartha Walker Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Carl Knox Jr. Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCravens Park83 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTCC SE | Danny Aguirre Memorial Park and Disc Golf25 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Tarrant County College Southeast Campus
DirectionsParkway Central Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTreepoint Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Richard Simpson Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Helen Wessler Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Howard "Gumpy" Moore Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAllan Saxe Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDixon W. Holman Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Harris Road Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Burl L Wilkes Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Veterans Park127 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVillage Creek94 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMeadowbrook Park21 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDr. Robert Cluck Linear Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Green at College Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsShady Valley West Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Shady Valley West
Gateway Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Senior Center Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Clarence Foster Park79 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJ.W. Dunlop Sports Center51 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJulia Burgen Linear Park47 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMarti Van Ravenswaay14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWorkman Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPirie Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPrayer Walk2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Arlington First Church of the Nazarene
Inspiration Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Heroes Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAmphitheater Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVista Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Private park for Foxwood Glen residents1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Brazos Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Dream Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJanet and Mike Greene Research Quadrangle1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFish Creek Linear Park211 acres · CIty of Arlington, TX
DirectionsRiver Legacy Park198 acres
DirectionsWebb Community Park80 acres
DirectionsRandol Mill Park Natural Area47 acres
Bob Findlay Linear Park30 acres
O.S. Gray Natural Area25 acres
DirectionsRiver Legacy East16 acres
Sublet Creek Linear Park15 acres
Bowman Springs Park14 acres
DirectionsDon Misenhimer Park13 acres
Mary and Jimmie Hooper Park13 acres
DirectionsBob McFarland Park13 acres
High Oak Park12 acres
Marrow Bone Linear Park12 acres
DirectionsWoodland West Park11 acres
DirectionsGene Schrickel, Jr. Park11 acres
DirectionsB.C. Barnes Park9 acres
Thora Hart Park9 acres
DirectionsEden Road Park9 acres
Gibbins Park9 acres
H.A.D. Dunsworth Park8 acres
Duncan Robinson Park7 acres
Jake Langston Park7 acres
DirectionsFielder Park6 acres
Rush Creek Dog Parks5 acres
DirectionsClarence Thompson Park5 acres
DirectionsPark at Georgetown in the Park3 acres · Potomac Parkway Homeowners Association
Senter Park3 acres
DirectionsAl Rollins Park2 acres
Trinity UMC Soccer Field2 acres · Trinity United Methodist church
DirectionsCollege Hill Park2 acres
DirectionsGeorge Stevens Park2 acres
Founders Plaza2 acres
DirectionsCurtis Mathis Park2 acres
DirectionsSavanna Plaza1 acres
The Commons Park1 acres
Valley View Park1 acres
Knapp Heritage Park1 acres
DirectionsGene Allen Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,639 conserved acres
8% of Arlington’s land. Who manages Arlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city9,449 ac
Army Corps of Engineers112 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,978 acLocal Park · 2,051 acRecreation or Education Easement · 1,577 acLocal Recreation Area · 1,512 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,375 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 160 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Legacy Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 934 | Open |
| Tierra Verde Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 274 | Open |
| Bowman Branch Linear - Mansfield Webb-Webb Ferrell Local Park | Town or city | 257 | Open |
| Lakes At Matlock Local Park | Town or city | 211 | Open |
| Fish Creek Linear Park Local Park | Town or city | 186 | Open |
| Lake Arlington Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 179 | Open |
| Lynn Creek Linear Park Local Park | Town or city | 168 | Open |
| Chester W. Ditto Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 156 | Open |
| Bowman Branch Linear Park Local Park | Town or city | 153 | Open |
| Webb Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 143 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
102 places to go in Arlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Arlington
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Arlington
Suntan Lagoon
DirectionsSurf Lagoon
DirectionsPlus 7 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Arlington
Burl L. Wilkes Park PlaygroundIn Burl L Wilkes Park
DirectionsLooney Tunes Adventure Camp
DirectionsMarti Van Ravenswaay PlaygroundIn Marti Van Ravenswaay
DirectionsMarti Van Ravenswaay SwingsetIn Marti Van Ravenswaay
DirectionsValley View Park PlaygroundIn Valley View Park
DirectionsWoodland West Park PlaygroundIn Woodland West Park
Directions84 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Arlington
Rush Creek Dog NorthIn Rush Creek Dog Parks
DirectionsRush Creek Dog SouthIn Rush Creek Dog Parks
DirectionsTails 'N Trails Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Arlington
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Arlington
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Arlington
Dallas / Arlington KOA
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Arlington
Fish Creek Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 15.2 miUnpaved · 10.1 mi
River Legacy MTB Trail6.4 mi
Meadow Loop0.5 mi
Rush Creek Linear0.5 mi
Village/Rush Creek0.3 mi
Bluff Loop0.2 mi
Main Pond Trail0.1 mi
Boulder Path0.1 mi
Biking & sports
72 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
52 mi
off-road bike paths
12 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
141Tennis
59Baseball
49Basketball
44Soccer
30Football
19Softball
19Pickleball
12Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 49 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hutcheson-Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itArlington Post OfficeBuilding · listed 2000
About itOld Town Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000
About itSouth Center Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003
About itVaught HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itVandergriff BuildingBuilding · listed 2010
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Arlington
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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 61 | 69 | 76 | 84 | 91 | 96 | 96 | 89 | 79 | 67 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
July is the driest month (2.0 in) and August the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Arlington →
Next door
Arlington and its neighbors
Arlington has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | 8% | 0.5 | 10 | 85% | B+ |
| Fort Worth | 6% | 0.6 | 10 | 85% | B+ |
| Grand Prairie | 24% | 0.3 | 33 | 80% | A− |
| Kennedale | 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 69% | C− |
| Mansfield | 3% | 0.6 | 11 | 61% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Arlington
Where can I hike in Arlington?
The longest trail networks: Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve, 2.1 miles; Stovall Park, 1.3 miles; Harold Patterson Sports Center, 0.9 miles; Martin Luther King Jr. Sports Center, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Arlington is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Texas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Arlington’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Arlington?
72 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of painted or protected lanes, 52 of off-road paths and 12 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Arlington?
32,100 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Arlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,658 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Arlington have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #129 of 642 in Texas. 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 Arlington 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 →