Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park
Park
73 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Mansfield
Mansfield has 24 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park (1.9 mi), Mansfield Sports Complex (0.9 mi), Chandler Park (0.9 mi). 3% of Mansfield’s land is conserved, about 829 acres. 875 acres are parks and preserves, 11 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #205 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
829 acres · of 36.8 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
875 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
2.4 mi lanes · 5.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
15
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mansfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mansfield is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #205 of 642 in Texas. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mansfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (875 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home61% 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 57%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 68%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Mansfield’s 3% is ahead of 70% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mansfield Sports Complex
Park
90 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chandler Park
Managed by City of Mansfield
13 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harold M. Bell Park
Managed by City of Mansfield
11 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
James McKnight Park East
Park
26 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kathryn Rose Memorial Park
Park
37 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Stadium parking
All 16 parks & preserves
Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park73 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsMansfield Sports Complex90 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsChandler Park13 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · City of Mansfield
DirectionsHarold M. Bell Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Mansfield
James McKnight Park East26 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Kathryn Rose Memorial Park37 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMansfield Town Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWalnut Creek Linear Park47 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLoyd Park52 acres
Britton Park51 acres
Mansfield City Park8 acres
Donald R. Barg Park6 acres · City of Mansfield
McClendon Park West5 acres
DirectionsTwin Creeks Park5 acres
McClendon Park East3 acres
Windmill Walking Park1 acres
Who protects it
829 conserved acres
3% of Mansfield’s land. Who manages Mansfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,303 ac
Army Corps of Engineers725 ac
Private owners71 ac
Local Park · 651 acConservation Easement · 509 acRecreation or Education Easement · 471 acRecreation Management Area · 363 acLocal Recreation Area · 106 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Pool Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 363 | Open |
| Oliver Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 148 | Open |
| Britton Park Local Park | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Mansfield Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 86 | Open |
| Greenbelt Local Park | Town or city | 81 | Open |
| James McKnight Park East Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Loyd Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| James McKnight Park West Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Woodlands Estate Park Local Park | Private owners | 39 | Open |
| Town Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Mansfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mansfield
Harold M. Bell Park PlaygroundIn Harold M. Bell Park
DirectionsPlus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Mansfield
Mans Best Field Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Mansfield
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
15 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.5 mi
off-road bike paths
2.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
52Tennis
27Baseball
23Soccer
11Basketball
6Football
4Multi-sport
1Volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Botts-Fowler HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itAndrew "Cap" and Emma Doughty Bratton HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itLester H. and Mabel Bryant Chorn HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itRalph Sandiford and Julia Boisseau Man HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itWallace-Hall HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itBuchanan-Hayter-Witherspoon HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Mansfield
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 | 62 | 69 | 76 | 84 | 91 | 96 | 96 | 89 | 79 | 67 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
July is the driest month (2.0 in) and August the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mansfield →
Next door
Mansfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield | 3% | 0.6 | 11 | 61% | B |
| Grand Prairie | 24% | 0.3 | 33 | 80% | A− |
| Rendon | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 10% | D− |
| Arlington | 8% | 0.5 | 10 | 85% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mansfield
Where can I hike in Mansfield?
The longest trail networks: Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park, 1.9 miles; Mansfield Sports Complex, 0.9 miles; Chandler Park, 0.9 miles; Harold M. Bell Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mansfield is conserved land?
3% 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 Mansfield’s trails?
Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park and Mansfield Sports Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mansfield?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of painted or protected lanes, 5.5 of off-road paths and 2.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Mansfield?
18,123 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mansfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 908 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mansfield have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #205 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 Mansfield 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 →