Photo: Mojo Hand · CC BY-SA 4.0Bellwood has 52 acres of parks, 6.5 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Bensley Park (0.6 mi). 1% of Bellwood’s land is conserved, about 53 acres. 51% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns · #197 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
How much outdoors does Bellwood have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bellwood is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns, #197 of 253 in Virginia. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Bensley Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Falling Creek Ironworks
53 conserved acres
1% of Bellwood’s land. Who manages Bellwood’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| James River Conservation Area Local Park | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| Bensley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| Falling Creek Linear Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
| Fort Stevens Park Local Park | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
1 places to go in Bellwood
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Bellwood: 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) | 9.8 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 49 | 53 | 61 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 90 | 88 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bellwood →
Bellwood and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellwood | 1% | 0.4 | 7 | 51% | C+ |
| Bensley | 6% | 0.1 | 18 | 96% | B+ |
| Chester | 2% | 0.4 | 6 | 43% | C |
| Meadowbrook | under 1% | 0.6 | 1 | 40% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bellwood
Where can I hike in Bellwood?
The longest trail networks: Bensley Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bellwood is conserved land?
1% 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 Bellwood’s trails?
Bensley Park and Falling Creek Ironworks don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bellwood?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bellwood?
16,353 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bellwood or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 52 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bellwood have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #197 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 Bellwood neighbors.
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 →