Elgin Memorial Park
Park
23 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Darrylpearson · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Elgin
Elgin has 108 acres of parks, 9.3 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Elgin Memorial Park (0.7 mi), Shenandoah Greenbelt (0.5 mi). 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Elgin’s land is conserved, about 103 acres.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #258 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
103 acres · of 7.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.3 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
108 ac
9.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
83%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Elgin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elgin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elgin is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #258 of 642 in Texas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Elgin’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (108 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home83% 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 51%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 60%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Elgin’s 2% is ahead of 57% of Texas 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 B. 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 Elgin Memorial Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shenandoah Greenbelt
Park
19 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Thomas Memorial Park
Park
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Public Parking - Thomas Memorial ParkWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Elgin Memorial Park23 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsShenandoah Greenbelt19 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Thomas Memorial Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMorris Memorial Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsShenandoah Soccer Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Goins Picnic Area1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
103 conserved acres
2% of Elgin’s land. Who manages Elgin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city170 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits17 ac
Conservation Easement · 102 acLocal Park · 85 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah Park & Greenbelt Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Elgin Memorial Park/Elgin Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Thomas Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Morris Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Elgin Little League Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Open |
| Goins Picnic Area Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Elgin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Elgin
Morris Memorial PoolIn Morris Memorial Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Elgin
14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
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
7Baseball
7Tennis
6Basketball
4Beach volleyball
4Soccer
3Football
2Tracks
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Elgin
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) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 62 | 66 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 92 | 95 | 97 | 91 | 82 | 71 | 63 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
July is the driest month (2.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 97 °F). 4.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 97 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Elgin →
Questions about parks and trails in Elgin
Where can I hike in Elgin?
The longest trail networks: Elgin Memorial Park, 0.7 miles; Shenandoah Greenbelt, 0.5 miles; Thomas Memorial Park, 0.3 miles; Morris Memorial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elgin is conserved land?
2% 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 Elgin’s trails?
Elgin Memorial Park and Shenandoah Greenbelt don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Elgin?
2,927 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elgin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 117 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Elgin have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #258 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 Elgin 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 →