Hillandale Park
Park
115 acres5.9 mi of trail
Hillandale Walking TrailTake It EasyLet It FlowStep It Up+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Alma mater · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg has 29 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Hillandale Park (5.9 mi), University Park (2.7 mi), Purcell Park (1.6 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 449 acres are parks and preserves, 8.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #112 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
276 acres · of 17.3 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
449 ac
8.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
29 mi
17 mi lanes · 5.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Harrisonburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harrisonburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harrisonburg is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #112 of 253 in Virginia. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Harrisonburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land8.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (449 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home85% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 56%
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 Hillandale Park, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
University Park
Park
84 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Sentara Park (U-Park) Parking
Westover Park
Park
42 acres1.1 mi of trail
Discgolf Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Parkwoods Community Park
Park
12 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Hillandale Park115 acres · 5.9 mi of trail
University Park84 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPurcell Park52 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWestover Park42 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRamblewood Field52 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsParkwoods Community Park12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRalph Sampson Park9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMorrison Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJMU UPARK Disc Golf Course10 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Club Park3 acres
Hillside Field2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
276 conserved acres
2% of Harrisonburg’s land. Who manages Harrisonburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city273 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
Local Park · 167 acLocal Recreation Area · 107 acConservation Easement · 18 acOther Easement · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillandale Park Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Purcell Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Ramblewood Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Rocktown Trails Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Smithland Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Ralph Sampson Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Dream Come True Playground Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Cecil F Gilkerson Community Activity Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Morrison Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Eastover Tennis Courts Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
52 places to go in Harrisonburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Harrisonburg
Playgrounds in Harrisonburg
A Dream Come True Playground
Directions37 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Harrisonburg
The Harrison Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 5 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Harrisonburg
TelescopesIn Astronomy Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Harrisonburg
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Harrisonburg
Nathan Longenecker Memorial Disc Golf CourseEastern Mennonite University
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Harrisonburg
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.9 miUnpaved · 9.5 mi
Hillandale Walking Trail1.6 mi
Take It Easy0.6 mi
Let It Flow0.6 mi
Discgolf Path0.6 mi
Interlocking Arboretum Footpath0.3 mi
Step It Up0.3 mi
Seeing Red0.3 mi
Powerline Trail0.3 mi
Buck Jam0.3 mi
Old School0.3 mi
4 more trails
Oak
0.2 miNew Era
0.2 miTurkey Roost
0.1 miGeronimo
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
29 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
17 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.5 mi
off-road bike paths
6.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
RockStar GravelBike route
1 miRockStar TrailBike route
0.9 miRockStar PaveBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
51Tennis
32Basketball
14Soccer
14Baseball
11Beach volleyball
4Football
4Pickleball
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Thomas Harrison HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itJoshua Wilton HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itAnthony Hockman HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itGeorge Earman HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itRockinghan County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itInglewoodBuilding · listed 1985
About itSimms, Lucy F., SchoolBuilding · listed 2004
About itWhitesel BrothersBuilding · listed 2005
About itOld Town Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2008
About itNewtown CemeterySite · listed 2015
About itTurner Ashby MonumentObject · listed 2017
About itBethel AME Church and Dallard-Newman House Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2017
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Harrisonburg: April 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 47 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Harrisonburg →
Questions about parks and trails in Harrisonburg
Where can I hike in Harrisonburg?
The longest trail networks: Hillandale Park, 5.9 miles; University Park, 2.7 miles; Purcell Park, 1.6 miles; Westover Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg’s trails?
Hillandale Park and University Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harrisonburg?
29 miles of bike routes are on the map: 17 of painted or protected lanes, 5.5 of off-road paths and 6.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: RockStar Gravel, RockStar Trail and RockStar Pave.
Is there public land near Harrisonburg?
20,341 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harrisonburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 449 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Harrisonburg have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #112 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 Harrisonburg 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 →