Photo: James Shelton32 · CC BY-SA 4.0Chester has 138 acres of parks, 5.6 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Chester Linear Park (0.6 mi). 43% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Chester’s land is conserved, about 134 acres.
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns · #212 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
How much outdoors does Chester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chester is ahead of 33% of U.S. towns, #212 of 253 in Virginia. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull 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 Chester Linear Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lowe's Athletic Complex
134 conserved acres
2% of Chester’s land. Who manages Chester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goyne Park Local Park | County | 120 | Open |
| Lowe's Soccer Complex Local Park | County | 113 | Open |
| Chester Linear Park Local Park | Not recorded | 54 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
34 places to go in Chester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
29 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
4 lakes & rivers
0.9 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Chester: 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) | 9.9 | 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 | 86 | 90 | 88 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 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 July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Chester →
Chester and its neighbors
Chester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 2% | 0.4 | 6 | 43% | C |
| Bellwood | 1% | 0.4 | 7 | 51% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chester
Where can I hike in Chester?
The longest trail networks: Chester Linear Park, 0.6 miles; Lowe's Athletic Complex, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chester is conserved land?
2% 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 Chester’s trails?
Chester Linear Park and Lowe's Athletic Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chester?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chester?
16,396 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 138 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chester have?
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #212 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 Chester 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 →