First Capitol Park
Managed by City of West Columbia
26 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Varner-Hogg Plantation · Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0COutdoors
Outdoors in West Columbia
West Columbia has 42 acres of parks, 12 for every 1,000 residents
69% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of West Columbia’s land is conserved, about 45 acres.
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns · #409 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
45 acres · of 2.6 sq mi of land
Trails
0.0 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
42 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Columbia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Columbia is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #409 of 642 in Texas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Columbia’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% 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. 0.4DPark land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (42 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home69% 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 32%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 36%
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so West Columbia’s 3% is ahead of 62% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 7% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in West Columbia. 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 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.
Who protects it
45 conserved acres
3% of West Columbia’s land. Who manages West Columbia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city83 ac
Joint3 ac
Not recorded3 ac
Local Park · 42 acConservation Easement · 42 acOther Easement · 3 acState Other or Unknown · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Capitol Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Unknown State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Robert R Dixon Memorial Unity Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Loggins Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Trails & water
1 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
8Tennis
7Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 19 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Varner-Hogg PlantationBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in West Columbia: April and May
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) | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.6 | 14.0 | 13.8 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.3 |
| High (°F) | 65 | 68 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 91 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 83 | 74 | 67 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and August the warmest (highs of 94 °F). 5.8 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 94 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in West Columbia →
Questions about parks and trails in West Columbia
How much of West Columbia is conserved land?
3% 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 West Columbia’s trails?
First Capitol Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Columbia?
3,322 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Columbia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 42 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West Columbia have?
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #409 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 West Columbia 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 →