Lee F. Jackson Spring Creek Park Preserve
Park
83 acres2.4 mi of trail
North Garland TrailBelAir TrailHillside TrailsTrout Lily Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Randy Colborn · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Garland
9% of Garland’s land is conserved: 3,323 acres
The biggest trail networks: Lee F. Jackson Spring Creek Park Preserve (2.4 mi), Spring Creek Forest Preserve Park (1.5 mi), Spring Creek Greenbelt - Fred E. Harris Section (1.1 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 23 miles of mapped trail cross Garland, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #99 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
3,323 acres · of 56.9 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,428 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
47 mi
5.1 mi lanes · 35 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
What kind of outdoors town is Garland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Garland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Garland is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #99 of 642 in Texas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Garland’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 (23 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,428 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13BParks close to home90% 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 74%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 85%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Garland ranks #244 on Outdoors.
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Garland’s 9% is ahead of 88% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 64% 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 Lee F. Jackson Spring Creek Park Preserve, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spring Creek Forest Preserve Park
Managed by Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest
34 acres1.5 mi of trail
Nature Loop TrailLimestone Loop TrailSpring Creek Interpretive Walking TrailMaple Ridge Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Spring Creek Greenbelt - Fred E. Harris Section
Managed by Garland Parks & Recreation
56 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Naaman Forest Section
Park
52 acres1.1 mi of trail
Ranger Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Audubon Park
Managed by Garland Parks & Recreation
142 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rick Oden Park
Park
43 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
W. Cecil Winters Park
Park
107 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 55 parks & preserves
Lee F. Jackson Spring Creek Park Preserve83 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSpring Creek Forest Preserve Park34 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest
DirectionsSpring Creek Greenbelt - Fred E. Harris Section56 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Garland Parks & Recreation
DirectionsGarland Central Park53 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNaaman Forest Section52 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAudubon Park142 acres · 1 mi of trail · Garland Parks & Recreation
DirectionsRick Oden Park43 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
W. Cecil Winters Park107 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsEastern Hills Park13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsEmbree Park12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
SpringPark Club19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · SpringPark HOA
DirectionsHayes Park at Rosehill73 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Rivercrest Branch Greenbelt Park33 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLon Wynne Park31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsArmstrong Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Duck Creek Greenbelt194 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLou Huff Park14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Garland Parks Department
DirectionsJohn Paul Jones Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Garland Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsAlamo Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Montgomery Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTinsley Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Oaks Branch Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Cullam Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJames Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hall Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Halff Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTuckerville Park61 acres
Cody Park51 acres
DirectionsBradfield Park49 acres
DirectionsWindsurf Bay Park42 acres
Ablon Park38 acres
Holford Park35 acres
DirectionsBreckinridge Park30 acres
One Eleven Ranch Park27 acres
Troth Ablon Park20 acres
DirectionsGroves Park14 acres
DirectionsCoomer Park13 acres
DirectionsWatson Park9 acres
Quail Creek Parkway8 acres · City of Garland Parks Department
Hollabaugh Park7 acres
Freedom Park7 acres
Gatewood Park6 acres
DirectionsYarborough Park4 acres
Bisby Park3 acres
Sunshine Park3 acres
Kingsley Park3 acres
Peavy Park3 acres
DirectionsIndependence Park2 acres
Douglas Park2 acres
Garland Christian Stadium2 acres
Garland City Square2 acres
DirectionsRoss Park1 acres
Dorfman Park1 acres
White Park1 acres
Grissom Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,323 conserved acres
9% of Garland’s land. Who manages Garland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city5,897 ac
County84 ac
Not recorded486 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,276 acLocal Park · 2,156 acLocal Conservation Area · 995 acOther Easement · 17 acLocal Other or Unknown · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 301 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 162 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowlett Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 638 | Open |
| Firewheel Golf Park Local Park | Not recorded | 486 | Open |
| Spring Creek Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 350 | Open |
| Duck Creek Greenbelt Local Park | Town or city | 197 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 178 | Open |
| Audubon Park Local Park | Town or city | 177 | Open |
| Ablon, Arnold, & Carol Park Local Park | Town or city | 86 | Open |
| Hayes Park at Rosehill Local Park | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Gatewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Tuckerville Park Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
92 places to go in Garland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Garland
Springpark Community PoolIn SpringPark Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Garland
Coomer Park PlaygroundIn Coomer Park
Directions79 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Garland
4 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Garland
6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Garland
Audobon Disc Golf CourseIn Audubon Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Garland
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 3.2 mi
Nature Loop Trail0.8 mi
North Garland Trail0.8 mi
Ranger Trail0.8 mi
BelAir Trail0.6 mi
Limestone Loop Trail0.4 mi
Hillside Trails0.3 mi
Maple Ridge Trail0.1 mi
Trout Lily Trail0.1 mi
Spring Creek Interpretive Walking Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
47 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
35 mi
off-road bike paths
6.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
78Tennis
32Golf
30Soccer
28Baseball
20Basketball
12Softball
12Football
6Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 15 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Garland
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 | 60 | 68 | 75 | 83 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 88 | 78 | 66 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
July is the driest month (2.0 in) and August the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Garland →
Next door
Garland and its neighbors
Garland has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garland | 9% | 0.4 | 14 | 90% | B+ |
| Dallas | 9% | 0.7 | 15 | 88% | A− |
| Sachse | 5% | 0.3 | 10 | 98% | B+ |
| Rowlett | 8% | 0.6 | 16 | 81% | B+ |
| Richardson | 8% | 0.7 | 12 | 98% | A− |
| Mesquite | 6% | 0.4 | 11 | 89% | B+ |
| Sunnyvale | 2% | 0.4 | 34 | 84% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Garland
Where can I hike in Garland?
The longest trail networks: Lee F. Jackson Spring Creek Park Preserve, 2.4 miles; Spring Creek Forest Preserve Park, 1.5 miles; Spring Creek Greenbelt - Fred E. Harris Section, 1.1 miles; Garland Central Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Garland 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 Garland’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Spring Creek Forest Preserve Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Garland?
47 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.1 of painted or protected lanes, 35 of off-road paths and 6.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Garland?
30,100 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Garland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,472 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Garland have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #99 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 Garland 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 →