English Park
Park
69 acres0.7 mi of trail
Eagle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Orygun · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Altavista
Altavista has 6.5 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
206 acres are parks and preserves, 62 per 1,000 residents. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: English Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #35 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
188 acres · of 5.3 sq mi of land
Trails
6.5 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
206 ac
62 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Altavista?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Altavista have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Altavista is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #35 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Altavista’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land62 acres of park per 1,000 residents (206 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 87%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 English Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
English Park69 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsShreve Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAvoca Museum9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn H. Moseley Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsBedford Avenue Neighborhood Park1 acres
Leonard Coleman Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
188 conserved acres
6% of Altavista’s land. Who manages Altavista’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County142 ac
State conservation141 ac
Town or city46 ac
Not recorded184 ac
Local Park · 371 acOther Easement · 141 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Park Local Park | Not recorded | 284 | Open |
| Staunton Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Shreve Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Bedford Ave. Neighborhood Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Avondale Dr. Neighborhood Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Leonard Coleman Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Altavista
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Altavista
16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Altavista
Staunton River Boat LaunchIn English Park
DirectionsScenic views in Altavista
Patrick deBernard Overlook
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.8 miUnpaved · 3.3 mi
Eagle Trail1.6 mi
Jenks River Trail0.9 mi
Green Hill Connector0.5 mi
Jenks River Loop0.3 mi
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
6Baseball
4Basketball
1Soccer
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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Altavista: April, June and August
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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 59 | 70 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 70 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Altavista →
Next door
Altavista and its neighbors
Altavista has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altavista | 6% | 1.2 | 62 | 93% | A |
| Hurt | under 1% | 0.9 | 4 | 28% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Altavista
Where can I hike in Altavista?
The longest trail networks: English Park, 0.7 miles; Shreve Park, 0.1 miles; Avoca Museum, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Altavista is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Altavista’s trails?
English Park and Shreve Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Altavista?
491 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Altavista or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 206 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Altavista have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #35 of 253 in Virginia. 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 Altavista 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 →