J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park
Managed by City of Princeton
80 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Princeton
Princeton has 130 acres of parks, 5.2 for every 1,000 residents
0.1 miles of mapped trail cross Princeton. 44% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 16% of U.S. towns · #536 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
86 acres · of 14.4 sq mi of land
Trails
0.1 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
130 ac
5.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
44%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.0 mi
6.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Princeton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Princeton is ahead of 16% of U.S. towns, #536 of 642 in Texas. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park comes closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Princeton’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4DPark land5.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (130 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13CParks close to home44% of residents within a half mile of a park · TX 69% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 16%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 17%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Princeton’s 1% is ahead of 34% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 13% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Princeton. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be C−. 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 J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Twin Groves Park
Managed by Army Corps of Engineers
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
3rd Street Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
86 conserved acres
1% of Princeton’s land. Who manages Princeton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city111 ac
Army Corps of Engineers60 ac
Local Park · 56 acConservation Easement · 56 acRecreation or Education Easement · 30 acRecreation Management Area · 30 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Lavon Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 30 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Princeton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Princeton
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Princeton
Princeton Dog ParkIn J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
9Baseball
5Basketball
5Football
1Multi-sport
1Volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Princeton
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 | 13.9 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 55 | 59 | 67 | 74 | 82 | 90 | 94 | 95 | 88 | 77 | 66 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
July is the driest month (2.2 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 Princeton →
Questions about parks and trails in Princeton
Where can I hike in Princeton?
The longest trail networks: J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Princeton is conserved land?
1% 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 Princeton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Trails at Riverstone Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Princeton?
6.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Princeton?
24,858 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Princeton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 130 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Princeton have?
Ahead of 16% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #536 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 Princeton 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 →