DeSoto has 7.2 miles of mapped trails, 0.3 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Zeigler Park (1.1 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 542 acres are parks and preserves, 9.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #215 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is DeSoto?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does DeSoto have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, DeSoto is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #215 of 642 in Texas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so DeSoto’s 4% is ahead of 71% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 58% 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.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Zeigler Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elerson Park
All 5 parks & preserves
496 conserved acres
4% of DeSoto’s land. Who manages DeSoto’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 37 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Creek Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Grimes Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| Windmill Hill Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Mirkes Parkway Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Ziegler Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Desoto Ranch Park State Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 22 | Open |
| Briarwood North Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Mosely Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Briarwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Townsend Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
6 places to go in DeSoto
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
4.2 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 DeSoto
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 | 68 | 76 | 83 | 91 | 95 | 96 | 89 | 79 | 67 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 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 May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in DeSoto →
DeSoto and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeSoto | 4% | 0.3 | 10 | 82% | B |
| Duncanville | 4% | 0.5 | 8 | 96% | B+ |
| Glenn Heights | 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 94% | C |
| Dallas | 9% | 0.7 | 15 | 88% | A− |
| Cedar Hill | 16% | 0.9 | 73 | 93% | A |
| Lancaster | 5% | 0.2 | 13 | 62% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in DeSoto
Where can I hike in DeSoto?
The longest trail networks: Zeigler Park, 1.1 miles; Elerson Park, 0.4 miles; Grimes Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of DeSoto is conserved land?
4% 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 DeSoto’s trails?
Zeigler Park and Elerson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in DeSoto?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 4.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near DeSoto?
20,568 acres of parks and open public land lie inside DeSoto or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 542 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does DeSoto have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #215 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 DeSoto 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 →