Hardeman Park
Park
10 acres0.2 mi of trail
Fitness Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Billy Hathorn. Original uploader was Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Bay City
Bay City has 66 acres of parks, 3.7 for every 1,000 residents
77% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Bay City’s land is conserved, about 76 acres. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Bay City, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns · #418 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
76 acres · of 9.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
66 ac
3.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bay City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bay City is ahead of 31% of U.S. towns, #418 of 642 in Texas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bay City’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land3.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (66 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13CParks close to home77% 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 31%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 35%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Bay City’s 1% is ahead of 44% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% 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 Hardeman Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
The Ball Field
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Hardeman Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Duncan Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bay City Community Park7 acres
DirectionsValiant Park5 acres
DirectionsThe Ball Field4 acres
Amistad Park3 acres
Bay Ridge Park2 acres
Henderson Park2 acres
Mary Withers Runnells Park2 acres
Chateaux Oaks Park1 acres
Liberty Park1 acres
DirectionsWickersham Park1 acres
Who protects it
76 conserved acres
1% of Bay City’s land. Who manages Bay City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city118 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits8 ac
Not recorded8 ac
Conservation Easement · 64 acLocal Recreation Area · 30 acLocal Park · 25 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 8 acRecreation or Education Easement · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardman Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Frahms Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Gusman Field & Sweeny Field & Young Field Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Open |
| Southern Pacific Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Girls Softball Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Little League Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| City Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Valiant Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Duncan Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bay Ridge Park 2 Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Bay City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bay City
First Baptist Playgound
DirectionsGirls and Boys Club
DirectionsHighland Park PlaygroundIn Highland Park
DirectionsPlus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Bay City
Barkway Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Bay City
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Bay City
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Fitness Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
19Tennis
9Baseball
5Basketball
3Pickleball
2Football
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
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 36 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bay City USO BuildingBuilding · listed 2006
About itHensley-Gusman HouseBuilding · listed 2006
About itSouth Side Residential Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itBay City Post OfficeBuilding · listed 2009
About itJudge William Shields Holman HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itMatagorda County MonumentObject · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Bay City: April and May
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) | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.6 | 14.0 | 13.8 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.3 |
| High (°F) | 64 | 68 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 92 | 94 | 90 | 83 | 74 | 67 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and August the warmest (highs of 94 °F). 5.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 94 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bay City →
Next door
Bay City and its neighbors
Bay City has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City | 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 77% | C |
| Van Vleck | under 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bay City
Where can I hike in Bay City?
The longest trail networks: Hardeman Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bay City is conserved land?
1% 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 Bay City’s trails?
Hardeman Park and Bay City Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bay City?
6,461 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bay City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 83 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Bay City have?
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #418 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 Bay City 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 →