Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
242 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: National Scenic Byways Online · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Payson
Payson has 22 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (2.1 mi), Gene Hillman Recreation Complex (1.5 mi), Lions Hollow Park (0.9 mi). 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 165 acres are parks and preserves, 7.2 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #59 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
281 acres · of 13.1 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
165 ac
7.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.0 mi
4.3 mi lanes · 2.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Payson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Payson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Payson is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #59 of 119 in Utah. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Payson’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical UT town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · UT 1.1 · U.S. 0.4APark land7.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (165 acres) · UT 7 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home86% of residents within a half mile of a park · UT 91% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
Utah towns of 2,500+ (119)Ahead of 51%
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 Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gene Hillman Recreation Complex
Park
43 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest242 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Gene Hillman Recreation Complex43 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Hollow Park20 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park7 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPeteetneet Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsConstitution Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsDry Mountain Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHidaway Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPozon Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPayson Canyon Kiwanis Park14 acres
DirectionsMaples Park10 acres
Temple view Park3 acres
Saddlebrook Pocket Parks3 acres
DirectionsDry Creek Park3 acres
DirectionsJesse Taylor Park2 acres
East Hills Park2 acres
DirectionsMcMullin Park1 acres
Who protects it
281 conserved acres
3% of Payson’s land. Who manages Payson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city114 ac
Bureau of Land Management83 ac
U.S. Forest Service62 ac
Private owners22 ac
Local Park · 136 acNational Public Lands · 83 acNational Forest · 62 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 83 | Open |
| Uinta National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 62 | Open |
| Gene Hillman Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Hillman Field Local Park | Private owners | 22 | Open |
| Hollow Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Payson Canyon Kiwanis Park And Disc Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Maples Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Dry Mountain Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in Payson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Payson
22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Payson
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
7.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Basketball
10Baseball
8Tennis
7Pickleball
4Soccer
1Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Christopher F. Dixon Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itJohn Dixon HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itPayson Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1986
About itPeteetneet SchoolBuilding · listed 1990
About itSamuel Douglass HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itPayson Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Payson: April to June
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 44 | 55 | 62 | 73 | 84 | 92 | 90 | 80 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
July is the driest month (0.6 in) and the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 2.1 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Payson →
Next door
Payson and its neighbors
Payson has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payson | 3% | 1.7 | 7 | 86% | B+ |
| West Mountain | under 1% | 1.9 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Spring Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Elk Ridge | 1% | 2.4 | 3 | 92% | B− |
| Salem | under 1% | 0.8 | 7 | 80% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Payson
Where can I hike in Payson?
The longest trail networks: Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 2.1 miles; Gene Hillman Recreation Complex, 1.5 miles; Lions Hollow Park, 0.9 miles; Memorial Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Payson is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Utah town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Payson’s trails?
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and Gene Hillman Recreation Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Payson?
7.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.3 of painted or protected lanes and 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Payson?
24,701 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Payson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 312 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Payson have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #59 of 119 in Utah. 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 Payson 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 →