Crossroads Recreational Complex
Park
288 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Temple Commercial Historic District · Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Temple
10% of Temple’s land is conserved: 4,945 acres
91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Crossroads Recreational Complex (1.6 mi), West Temple Park (0.8 mi), Lions Park (0.7 mi). 1,923 acres are parks and preserves, 21 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #90 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
4,945 acres · of 74.2 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,923 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
16 mi lanes · 8.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
1 beach · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Temple?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Temple have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Temple is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #90 of 642 in Texas. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Temple’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,923 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home91% of residents within a half mile of a park · TX 69% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 75%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 86%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Temple’s 10% is ahead of 90% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% of them.
Water is 6% of Temple’s area (5 of 79 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. 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 Crossroads Recreational Complex, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 40 parks & preserves
Crossroads Recreational Complex288 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Temple Park27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park95 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMiller Park28 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWestern Hills Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Wilson Park95 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Temple Park51 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMiller Springs Park36 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWhistlestop Playground5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSilver Stone Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSanta Fe Plaza2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Temple, TX
DirectionsTemples Lake Park67 acres
DirectionsTarrant Park32 acres
Lakewood Ranch Park16 acres
DirectionsWestridge Park15 acres
DirectionsScott and White Park13 acres
DirectionsFerguson Park10 acres
Conner Park10 acres
Chick Walker Junior Park8 acres
DirectionsFreedom Park8 acres · City of Temple
DirectionsJaycee Park6 acres
DirectionsJackson Park6 acres
DirectionsHodge Park6 acres
Velocity fastpitch Training Center5 acres
Optimist Park4 acres
DirectionsOak Creek Park4 acres
DirectionsJones Park4 acres
Draughon Park4 acres
DirectionsWoodson Field4 acres
DirectionsHeritage Park3 acres
Jefferson Park3 acres
Kiwanis Park2 acres
Waterford Park2 acres
Terrace Park2 acres
Temple Windmill Farms Park1 acres
Terrace Gardens Park1 acres
Sage Meadows Park1 acres
Nettles Park1 acres
Wyndham Hill Park1 acres
Colquitt Park1 acres
Who protects it
4,945 conserved acres
10% of Temple’s land. Water is left out: Temple has 74.2 square miles of land and 4.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Temple’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers8,217 ac
Town or city1,613 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land118 ac
Recreation or Education Easement · 4,027 acRecreation Management Area · 4,025 acConservation Easement · 748 acLocal Park · 690 acOther Easement · 155 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 53 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 143 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belton Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 4,025 | Open |
| Miller Springs Park Private Other or Unknown | Army Corps of Engineers | 118 | Open |
| Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 106 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Sammons Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 85 | Open |
| Temple College Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Tarrant Park National Public Lands | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 51 | Open |
| South Temple Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Marvin Fenn Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Miller Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
69 places to go in Temple
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Temple
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Temple
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Temple
Silverstone Park PlaygroundIn Silver Stone Park
DirectionsSplash PadIn Jaycee Park
DirectionsTrenos Playground
DirectionsWyndham Hill PlayscapeIn Wyndham Hill Park
Directions51 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Temple
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Temple
5 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Temple
Silverstone Park Picnic AreaIn Silver Stone Park
DirectionsWyndham Hill Picnic AreaIn Wyndham Hill Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Temple
Live Oak Ridge Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Temple
6 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
42Tennis
26Baseball
19Soccer
18Basketball
8Football
6Pickleball
5Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 52 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ferguson HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itBarclay-Bryan HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itKyle HotelBuilding · listed 1993
About itState Highway 53 Bridge at the Leon RiverStructure · listed 1996
About itWilson, Ralph, Sr., and Sunny, HouseBuilding · listed 1998
About itTemple Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2005
About itMissouri, Kansas and Texas (MK&T-Katy) Railway Passenger DepotBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Temple
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 | 13.7 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.5 | 10.1 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 64 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 92 | 96 | 96 | 90 | 81 | 69 | 61 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
July is the driest month (1.8 in) and August the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Temple →
Next door
Temple and its neighbors
Temple has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 10% | 0.2 | 21 | 91% | A− |
| Belton | 9% | 0.1 | 38 | 85% | B+ |
| Morgan's Point Resort | 5% | under 0.1 | 20 | 99% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Temple
Where can I hike in Temple?
The longest trail networks: Crossroads Recreational Complex, 1.6 miles; West Temple Park, 0.8 miles; Lions Park, 0.7 miles; Miller Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Temple is conserved land?
10% 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 Temple’s trails?
Crossroads Recreational Complex and West Temple Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Temple?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of painted or protected lanes and 8.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Temple?
13,994 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Temple or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,960 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Temple have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #90 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 Temple 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 →