Galveston Island State Park
Managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife
1,928 acres9.1 mi of trail
Prairie TrailSwale TrailClapper Rail TrailJenkins Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nsaum75 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Galveston
18% of Galveston’s land is conserved: 4,818 acres
2,777 acres are parks and preserves, 52 per 1,000 residents. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Galveston, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Galveston Island State Park (9.1 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #21 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
4,818 acres · of 41.0 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,777 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.5 mi
7.5 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
31 beaches · 11 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Galveston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Galveston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Galveston is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #21 of 642 in Texas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Galveston’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,777 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home87% 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 92%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 97%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Galveston’s 18% is ahead of 94% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% of them.
Water is more than half of Galveston’s area (170 of 211 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Galveston Island State Park, with 9.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
East End Lagoon Nature Perserve
Nature preserve
551 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 19 parks & preserves
Galveston Island State Park1,928 acres · 9.1 mi of trail · Texas Parks and Wildlife
DirectionsKempner Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSchreiber Park55 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLindale Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrockett Little League Complex5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEast End Lagoon Nature Perserve551 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLafitte's Cove Nature Preserve27 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Seawolf Park12 acres
DirectionsBolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary9 acres · Houston Audubon Society
Lasker Park9 acres
DirectionsMenard Park7 acres
DirectionsAlamo Park4 acres
DirectionsSheppard Park2 acres
Jones Park2 acres
DirectionsAdoue Park2 acres
DirectionsSan Jacinto Park2 acres
DirectionsWright Cuney Park2 acres
DirectionsFort Crocket Battery Izard Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,818 conserved acres
18% of Galveston’s land. Water is left out: Galveston has 41.0 square miles of land and 170.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Galveston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Joint3,843 ac
State parks1,928 ac
Town or city959 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits544 ac
Private owners445 ac
Not recorded1,841 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,729 acState Park · 1,928 acPrivate Park · 1,841 acPrivate Conservation · 560 acLocal Park · 443 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 35 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 55 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston Island State Park State Park | State parks | 1,928 | Open |
| Old Fort San Jacinto Private Park | Not recorded | 1,631 | Open |
| Sweetwater Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 422 | Open |
| Big Reef Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 332 | Open |
| Moody Gardens Private Park | Not recorded | 112 | Open |
| Stewart Beach Park Private Park | Not recorded | 89 | Open |
| Little Pelican Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 85 | Closed |
| Beach Pocket Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Snake Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Closed |
| Scenic Galveston Preserves Complex Private Conservation | Private owners | 23 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
144 places to go in Galveston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Galveston
Babe's Beach
DirectionsBermuda Beach
DirectionsEast Beach
DirectionsEast Beach
DirectionsGalveston Beach
DirectionsJamaica BeachIn Galveston Island State Park
DirectionsPirates' Beach
DirectionsPorretto Beach
Directions7 more beaches
Porretto Beach
DirectionsSan Luis Beach
DirectionsStewart Beach
DirectionsStewart Beach Park
DirectionsSunny Beach
DirectionsWest Beach
DirectionsWest Beach
Directions31 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Galveston
Burnett Elementary Playground
DirectionsOdyssey Academy Playground
DirectionsPlus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Galveston
3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Galveston
AMTRAC Launching Ramp
DirectionsGalveston Boat Club
DirectionsGalveston Yacht Marina public boat rampFee
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Galveston
Salt Water FishingIn Galveston Island State Park
DirectionsSalt Water FishingIn Galveston Island State Park
DirectionsSeawolf Park Fishing Pier
DirectionsScenic views in Galveston
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Galveston
Mary Moody Northern AmpitheaterIn Galveston Island State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Galveston
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Galveston
64 campgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 6.7 mi
Prairie Trail2.4 mi
Swale Trail1.3 mi
Clapper Rail Trail1.2 mi
Jenkins Trail0.6 mi
Alligator Loop0.6 mi
Eskimo Curlew Loop0.4 mi
Eskimo Curlew Trail0.4 mi
Oak Mott Trail0.4 mi
Alligator Trail0.4 mi
Heritage Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Avenue V ½
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.5 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
Courts & fields
74Tennis
21Soccer
19Basketball
14Baseball
5Beach volleyball
5Softball
2Pickleball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →74 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 80 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ashbel Smith BuildingBuilding · listed 1969
About itAshton VillaBuilding · listed 1969
About itGeorge Sealy HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itBishop's PalaceBuilding · listed 1970
About itOld Galveston CustomhouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itSamuel May Williams HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itTrueheart-Adriance BuildingBuilding · listed 1971
About itSt. Mary's CathedralBuilding · listed 1973
About itGrand Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About it62 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Galveston: 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 | 10.6 | 10.3 |
| High (°F) | 62 | 65 | 70 | 76 | 82 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 87 | 80 | 71 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and August the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Galveston →
Next door
Galveston and its neighbors
Galveston has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston | 18% | 0.9 | 52 | 87% | A |
| Texas City | 13% | 0.3 | 19 | 84% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Galveston
Where can I hike in Galveston?
The longest trail networks: Galveston Island State Park, 9.1 miles; Kempner Park, 0.3 miles; East End Lagoon Nature Perserve, 0.1 miles; Schreiber Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Galveston is conserved land?
18% 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 Galveston’s trails?
Galveston Island State Park and Kempner Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Galveston?
7.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Galveston?
5,901 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Galveston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,516 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Galveston have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #21 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 Galveston 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 →