Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY 4.0Odessa has 22 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: UTPB Park (2.2 mi), Sherwood Park (1.4 mi), Comanche Trail West Park (1 mi). 729 acres are parks and preserves, 6.3 per 1,000 residents. 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns · #292 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
How much outdoors does Odessa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Odessa is ahead of 46% of U.S. towns, #292 of 642 in Texas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Odessa ranks #366 on Outdoors.
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Odessa’s 2% is ahead of 50% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 66% of them.
Park acres per resident are where Odessa trails most U.S. towns: 6.3 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 122,707 people share 729 acres.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is UTPB Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Comanche Trail West Park
Memorial Gardens Park
Jim Parker Park
Comanche Trail South Park
La Paz Park
Freedom Park
All 41 parks & preserves
567 conserved acres
2% of Odessa’s land. Who manages Odessa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 32 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTPB Park Local Park | Town or city | 99 | Open |
| Comanche Trail West Local Park | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Comanche Trail East Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Sherwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Floyd Gwin Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| McKinney Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Memorial Gardens Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Woodson Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Floyd Gwin Park Soccer Complex Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Jim Parker Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
23 places to go in Odessa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 7 lakes & rivers
5.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 34 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
April is the best month for walking in Odessa
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) | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.1 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 64 | 72 | 81 | 88 | 95 | 95 | 94 | 87 | 79 | 68 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
December is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 1.8 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Odessa →
Odessa and its neighbors
Odessa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa | 2% | 0.4 | 6 | 79% | B− |
| West Odessa | under 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 7% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Odessa
Where can I hike in Odessa?
The longest trail networks: UTPB Park, 2.2 miles; Sherwood Park, 1.4 miles; Comanche Trail West Park, 1 miles; Memorial Gardens Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Odessa is conserved land?
2% 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 Odessa’s trails?
UTPB Park and Sherwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Odessa?
5.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.3 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Odessa?
1,410 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Odessa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 734 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Odessa have?
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #292 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 Odessa neighbors.
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 →