Bentsen Palm Community Park
Park
54 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Theunderratedtaco · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Mission
Mission has 15 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Bentsen Palm Community Park (2.4 mi), Bannworth Park (0.7 mi), Birdwell Park (0.7 mi). 55% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1,026 acres are parks and preserves, 12 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #268 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
698 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,026 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
20 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mission have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mission is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #268 of 642 in Texas. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mission’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,026 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home55% 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 49%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 58%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Mission’s 3% is ahead of 66% 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 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 Bentsen Palm Community Park, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arnulfo "Tatan" Rodriguez, Jr. Park
Managed by City of Mission
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Astroland Park
Managed by City of Mission
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 19 parks & preserves
Bentsen Palm Community Park54 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBannworth Park19 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBirdwell Park7 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsNell Tolle Park14 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsArnulfo "Tatan" Rodriguez, Jr. Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Mission
DirectionsAstroland Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Mission
DirectionsWorld Birding Center - Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park171 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge135 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsHollis Rutledge Northwest Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Mission
DirectionsAla Blanca Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOblate Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMission Hike and Bike Trails452 acres · City of Mission/Mission Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsAnzalduas Park42 acres
Catholic War Veterans Park16 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park9 acres
DirectionsLions Park8 acres
Leo Peña Placita Park4 acres
DirectionsJose M. Lopez Park2 acres · City of Mission
DirectionsRotary Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
698 conserved acres
3% of Mission’s land. Who manages Mission’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city586 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service282 ac
Joint171 ac
State parks171 ac
County87 ac
Not recorded88 ac
Conservation Easement · 388 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 282 acLocal Park · 272 acState Park · 171 acLocal Recreation Area · 107 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 282 | Restricted |
| Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park State Park | State parks | 171 | Open |
| Shary Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 103 | Open |
| Bentsen Palm Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Mission Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Anzalduas County Park Local Park | County | 44 | Open |
| Bannworth Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| CWV Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Nell Tolle Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Mission
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mission
Hollis Rutledge Nothwest Park PlaygroundIn Hollis Rutledge Northwest Park
DirectionsPlus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Los Indios0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
20 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
73Tennis
21Basketball
21Baseball
10Soccer
10Golf
3Football
2Softball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
La Lomita Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itBorder TheaterBuilding · listed 1998
About itLomita Boulevard Commercial Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 1998
About itJohn Shary BuildingBuilding · listed 2002
About itMission Canal Company Second Lift PumphouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itMission Citrus Growers Union Packing ShedBuilding · listed 2002
About itRoosevelt School Auditorium and Classroom AdditionBuilding · listed 2002
About itTeatro La PazBuilding · listed 2002
About itOblate Park Historic districtDistrict · listed 2005
About itShary HeightsDistrict · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Mission
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) | 10.7 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 13.6 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 10.5 |
| High (°F) | 71 | 76 | 82 | 88 | 92 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 94 | 88 | 80 | 73 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
February is the driest month (0.8 in) and August the warmest (highs of 99 °F). 4.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 99 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mission →
Next door
Mission and its neighbors
Mission has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission | 3% | 0.4 | 12 | 55% | B− |
| McAllen | 5% | 0.4 | 6 | 83% | B− |
| Palmview | 3% | 0.1 | 1 | 16% | C− |
| Palmview South | 27% | 0.6 | under 1 | 6% | C+ |
| Abram | 17% | 0.5 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mission
Where can I hike in Mission?
The longest trail networks: Bentsen Palm Community Park, 2.4 miles; Bannworth Park, 0.7 miles; Birdwell Park, 0.7 miles; Nell Tolle Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mission 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 Mission’s trails?
Bentsen Palm Community Park and Bannworth Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mission?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 20 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mission?
3,462 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mission or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,026 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mission have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #268 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 Mission 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 →