R J McInnish Park
Managed by Carrollton Parks and Recreation
204 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Carrollton
9% of Carrollton’s land is conserved: 2,094 acres
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: R J McInnish Park (2.2 mi), Elm Fork Nature Preserve (1 mi), Sam Houston Trail Park (0.5 mi). 2,094 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #84 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,094 acres · of 36.6 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,094 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
2.7 mi lanes · 19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
What kind of outdoors town is Carrollton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carrollton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carrollton is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #84 of 642 in Texas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carrollton’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,094 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13BParks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · TX 69% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 87%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Carrollton ranks #229 on Outdoors.
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Carrollton’s 9% is ahead of 88% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 63% 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 R J McInnish Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elm Fork Nature Preserve
Managed by City of Carrollton
36 acres1 mi of trail
Main TrailCrossover Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sam Houston Trail Park
Park
200 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Harold K Bessire Park
Park
6 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Oak Hills Park
Managed by City of Carrollton Parks and Recreation
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 32 parks & preserves
R J McInnish Park204 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Carrollton Parks and Recreation
DirectionsElm Fork Nature Preserve36 acres · 1 mi of trail · City of Carrollton
DirectionsSam Houston Trail Park200 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Harold K Bessire Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Rosemeade Park28 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Hills Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Carrollton Parks and Recreation
Martha Pointer Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Carrollton
DirectionsCedar Elm Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Carrollton Parks and Recreation
Josey Ranch Lake Park35 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCroft Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Carrollton Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMary Heads Carter Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTimbercreek Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJosey Ranch Athletic Complex29 acres
DirectionsWard Steensen Park24 acres
DirectionsThomas Park20 acres
DirectionsMill Valley Park9 acres
DirectionsPorter Park8 acres
DirectionsFairway Vista Park6 acres
Clifford E. "Bill" Hall Park6 acres · City of Carrollton Parks and Recreation
DirectionsOakwood Springs Park6 acres
Harvest Run Park5 acres
Branch Hollow Park5 acres
DirectionsHolman D. Rhoton Park4 acres
Ken Good Park4 acres
DirectionsFrancis Perry Park3 acres
Ward Steenson Park3 acres
DirectionsVillages of Indian Creek Park2 acres
Trinity Mills Station Esplanade2 acres · Trinity Mills
DirectionsDel Santer Park1 acres
Primrose Park1 acres
Carrollton Square1 acres
DirectionsPioneer Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,094 conserved acres
9% of Carrollton’s land. Who manages Carrollton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city3,651 ac
Joint40 ac
Not recorded540 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,323 acLocal Park · 1,159 acRecreation or Education Easement · 737 acLocal Recreation Area · 713 acLocal Conservation Area · 271 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 114 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 92 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt Park Local Park | Town or city | 455 | Open |
| Indian Creek Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 389 | Open |
| Tc Rice Jr Natural Area Local Park | Town or city | 255 | Open |
| Elm Fork Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 224 | Open |
| Proposed Athletic Fields Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 148 | Open |
| Nob Hill Greenbelt Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Josey Ranch Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Oak Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Josey Ranch Greenbelt Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Dimension Tract Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 48 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
60 places to go in Carrollton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Carrollton
Austin Waters Community Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Carrollton
Treeline Park
Directions41 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Carrollton
Rosemeade Dog ParkIn Rosemeade Park
DirectionsPlus 3 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Carrollton
11 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Carrollton
Sandy Lake RV Resort
DirectionsDisc golf in Carrollton
Greenbelt Disc Golf Course
DirectionsJimmy Porter Discgolf Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 0.6 mi
Main Trail0.7 mi
Crossover Trail0.1 mi
Dimension Tract River Putin0.1 mi
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
19 mi
off-road bike paths
2.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
80Tennis
34Baseball
22Basketball
20Soccer
16Football
6Pickleball
5Beach volleyball
2Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Carrollton
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 | 13.0 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 61 | 68 | 76 | 83 | 91 | 96 | 96 | 89 | 78 | 67 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
July is the driest month (2.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Carrollton →
Next door
Carrollton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dallas243 miPlano49 miThe Colony40 miIrving31 miLewisville27 miCarrollton14 miCoppell6.1 miAddison4.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrollton | 9% | 0.4 | 16 | 93% | A− |
| Dallas | 9% | 0.7 | 15 | 88% | A− |
| Lewisville | 36% | 0.7 | 42 | 93% | A |
| Coppell | 6% | 0.4 | 14 | 94% | B+ |
| The Colony | 43% | 2.8 | 47 | 97% | A+ |
| Plano | 10% | 0.7 | 16 | 94% | A− |
| Addison | 6% | 1.1 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Irving | 5% | 0.5 | 9 | 86% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carrollton
Where can I hike in Carrollton?
The longest trail networks: R J McInnish Park, 2.2 miles; Elm Fork Nature Preserve, 1 miles; Sam Houston Trail Park, 0.5 miles; Harold K Bessire Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carrollton is conserved land?
9% 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 Carrollton’s trails?
R J McInnish Park and Elm Fork Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carrollton?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of painted or protected lanes, 19 of off-road paths and 2.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Carrollton?
35,845 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carrollton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,340 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Carrollton have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #84 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 Carrollton 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 →