Huntsville State Park
Managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
2,024 acres18.6 mi of trail
Chinquapin TrailTriple C TrailDogwood TrailPrairie Branch Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Huntsville
21% of Huntsville’s land is conserved: 5,720 acres
57 miles of mapped trail cross Huntsville, 1.4 per square mile of land. 2,307 acres are parks and preserves, 48 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Huntsville State Park (18.6 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #18 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
5,720 acres · of 41.8 sq mi of land
Trails
57 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,307 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
472 ft
Peckerwood Hill
Lakes & rivers
16
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Huntsville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Huntsville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Huntsville is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #18 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 Huntsville’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (57 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,307 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home79% 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 93%
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 Huntsville’s 21% is ahead of 95% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 93% of them.
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 Huntsville State Park, with 18.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eastham Thomason Park
Park
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Eastham Thomason North Park
Park
12 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Huntsville State Park2,024 acres · 18.6 mi of trail · Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
DirectionsEastham Thomason North Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Eastham Thomason Dog Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kate Barr Ross Park32 acres
DirectionsEastham Thomason Park13 acres
Sam Houston Home (Duck Pond Park)12 acres
DirectionsMance park11 acres
Josey Park9 acres
DirectionsEmancipation Park9 acres
Bush Miller Park4 acres
Gibbs Park1 acres
Pineview Park1 acres
Bayou Bend Park1 acres
Forest Hills Park1 acres
Smither Park1 acres
Rather Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,720 conserved acres
21% of Huntsville’s land. Who manages Huntsville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service3,313 ac
State parks2,024 ac
Joint2,023 ac
Town or city554 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)73 ac
Other state land25 ac
National Forest · 3,313 acConservation Easement · 2,406 acState Park · 2,024 acLocal Park · 262 acLocal Conservation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 120 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,313 | Open |
| Huntsville State Park State Park | State parks | 2,024 | Open |
| Eastham-Thomason Park Local Park | Town or city | 143 | Open |
| Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Emma Etheredge Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Sam Houston Home (Duck Pond Park) Local Park | Other state land | 12 | Open |
| Sam Houston Statue Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Thomas Henry Ball (Josey) Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Emancipation Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| New Addition Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Huntsville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Huntsville
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Huntsville
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Huntsville
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Huntsville
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Huntsville
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Huntsville
Sammys Huge Chair
DirectionsPeaks in Huntsville
Peckerwood Hill472 ft elevation
DirectionsSmith Hill413 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Huntsville
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Huntsville
West Huntsville Trail Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 34.0 miHorses · 15.8 miUnpaved · 31.6 mi
Lone Star Hiking Trail7.5 mi
Chinquapin Trail6.7 mi
North Loop Trail5.2 mi
Triple C Trail4.3 mi
Forest Service Road 2873.7 mi
South Loop Trail3.2 mi
2862.2 mi
Inner Loop Trail1.9 mi
Dogwood Trail1.6 mi
CCC Tail1.5 mi
8 more trails
Prairie Branch Loop
1.4 miStart Hill Trail
0.9 miColoneh Trail
0.7 miTriple C Cutoff
0.6 miLoblolly Trail
0.2 miChinquapin Cutoff
0.2 miOld Path - Closed
0.1 miCCC Connector Trail
0.1 miLakes & 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
20Tennis
13Baseball
4Soccer
3Basketball
3Beach volleyball
2Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 59 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Huntsville
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 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 61 | 65 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 89 | 80 | 70 | 62 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
July is the driest month (3.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 94 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 94 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Huntsville →
Questions about parks and trails in Huntsville
Where can I hike in Huntsville?
The longest trail networks: Huntsville State Park, 18.6 miles; Eastham Thomason North Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Huntsville is conserved land?
21% 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 Huntsville’s trails?
Huntsville State Park and Kate Barr Ross Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Huntsville?
74,916 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Huntsville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,674 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Huntsville have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 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 Huntsville 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 →