Vernon Richards Riverbend Park
Park
48 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Smithville Commercial Historic District · Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Smithville
Smithville has 74 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.2 miles of mapped trail cross Smithville. 4% of Smithville’s land is conserved, about 94 acres.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #247 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
94 acres · of 4.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.2 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
74 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Smithville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Smithville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Smithville is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #247 of 642 in Texas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Smithville’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (74 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13BParks close to home88% 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 52%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 62%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Smithville’s 4% is ahead of 71% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 20% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Keilburg Park
Park
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Railroad Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVernon Richards Riverbend Park48 acres
DirectionsKeilburg Park6 acres
Independence Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
94 conserved acres
4% of Smithville’s land. Who manages Smithville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city136 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government26 ac
Regional agency26 ac
Local Park · 86 acConservation Easement · 85 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 acRecreation or Education Easement · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon L. Richards Riverbend Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Smithville Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Smithville Little League Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Keilburg Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Railroad Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bark Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Smithville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Smithville
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Smithville
Bark Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & 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
6Baseball
3Tennis
2Football
2Basketball
1Skate park
1Soccer
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Smithville
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 | 13.6 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 63 | 66 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 93 | 96 | 97 | 91 | 83 | 72 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
July is the driest month (2.0 in) and August the warmest (highs of 97 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 97 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Smithville →
Questions about parks and trails in Smithville
Where can I hike in Smithville?
The longest trail networks: Railroad Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Smithville is conserved land?
4% 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 Smithville’s trails?
Vernon Richards Riverbend Park and Keilburg Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Smithville?
10,838 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Smithville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 99 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Smithville have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #247 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 Smithville 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 →