Mansion House · Photo: Eric Schena · CC BY-SA 3.0Few parks or trails are on the map in McDowell
8% of McDowell’s land is conserved, about 54 acres. 0.2 miles of mapped trail cross McDowell, 0.2 per square mile of land. 53% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
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54 conserved acres
8% of McDowell’s land. Who manages McDowell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 50 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVBF Holding Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Closed |
0.0 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
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in McDowell: April and June to 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 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 52 | 64 | 72 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 64 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in McDowell →
Questions about parks and trails in McDowell
Is there public land near McDowell?
52,208 acres of parks and open public land lie inside McDowell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from McDowell 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 →