Azurest South · Photo: AJ Belongia · CC BY-SA 3.0Ettrick has 72 acres of parks, 12 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Ettrick Park (1.1 mi). 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Ettrick’s land is conserved, about 91 acres.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #124 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Ettrick?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Ettrick have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ettrick is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #124 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
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 Ettrick Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
91 conserved acres
5% of Ettrick’s land. Who manages Ettrick’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| VSU Trail Park Local Park | County | 74 | Open |
| Ettrick Park Local Park | County | 56 | Open |
| CRLC Holding Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 25 | Restricted |
| Colonial Heights Parks And Recreation Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Ettrick
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
1.0 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.
3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Ettrick: 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) | 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 | 82 | 72 | 61 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ettrick →
Ettrick 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ettrick | 5% | 0.4 | 12 | 84% | B+ |
| Petersburg | 12% | 1.2 | 20 | 77% | A− |
| Colonial Heights | 3% | 0.9 | 8 | 80% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ettrick
Where can I hike in Ettrick?
The longest trail networks: Ettrick Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ettrick is conserved land?
5% 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 Ettrick’s trails?
Ettrick Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ettrick?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ettrick?
5,157 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ettrick or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 72 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ettrick have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 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 Ettrick 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 →