Stephenville City Park
Park
131 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
First National Bank Building · Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Stephenville
Stephenville has 287 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Stephenville City Park (1.1 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Stephenville, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #251 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
181 acres · of 12.1 sq mi of land
Trails
2.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
287 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.9 mi
1.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Stephenville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Stephenville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Stephenville is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #251 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 Stephenville’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (287 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home85% 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 51%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 61%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Stephenville’s 2% is ahead of 60% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 44% 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 Stephenville City Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tarleton Challenge Course Low/High Elements
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Stephenville City Park131 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOptimist Jaycee Park23 acres
DirectionsBosque Park14 acres
DirectionsTarleton Challenge Course Low/High Elements11 acres
DirectionsTarleton Pecan Orchard2 acres
DirectionsSandra Palmer Park2 acres
Tarleton Challenge Disc Golf Course1 acres
DirectionsCentury Park1 acres
DirectionsRiverwalk Townhomes Courtyard1 acres
Harvey Playground1 acres
Who protects it
181 conserved acres
2% of Stephenville’s land. Who manages Stephenville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city296 ac
Private owners35 ac
Local Park · 162 acConservation Easement · 133 acRecreation or Education Easement · 18 acLocal Recreation Area · 17 acOther Easement · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Optimist Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Stephenville Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 17 | Open |
| Creekside Pocket Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Stephenville Downtown Plaza Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
24 places to go in Stephenville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Stephenville
Creekside Pool
DirectionsTarleton Pool
DirectionsTarleton State University Aquatics Center
DirectionsThe Pattrick Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Stephenville
Oakdale Playground
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Stephenville
3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Stephenville
Scenic Overlook
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Stephenville
Open Roof GazeboIn Heritage Courtyard
DirectionsOpen Roof GazeboIn Heritage Courtyard
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
11Baseball
8Basketball
5Soccer
4Football
3Beach volleyball
3Softball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 29 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Stephenville
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 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 62 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 91 | 95 | 95 | 88 | 78 | 67 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.9 in) and August the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Stephenville →
Questions about parks and trails in Stephenville
Where can I hike in Stephenville?
The longest trail networks: Stephenville City Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Stephenville 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 Stephenville’s trails?
Stephenville City Park and Optimist Jaycee Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Stephenville?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Stephenville?
342 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stephenville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 287 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Stephenville have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #251 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 Stephenville 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 →