Petersburg National Battlefield Park
Managed by National Park Service
929 acres8.6 mi of trail
closed 2020
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Petersburg
Petersburg has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
12% of Petersburg’s land is conserved, about 1,797 acres. The biggest trail networks: Petersburg National Battlefield Park (8.6 mi), Lee Memorial Park (1.3 mi). 662 acres are parks and preserves, 20 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #62 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,797 acres · of 22.7 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
662 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Petersburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Petersburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Petersburg is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #62 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Petersburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (662 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13BParks close to home77% 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 85%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 76%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Petersburg National Battlefield Park, with 8.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lee Memorial Park
Park
373 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
McKenzie Street Park
Park
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
West End Park Fairgrounds
Park
44 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Petersburg National Battlefield Park929 acres · 8.6 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsLee Memorial Park373 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
McKenzie Street Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
West End Park Fairgrounds44 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Central Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Petersburg Patton Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHarding Street Community Center Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Berkeley Manor Park5 acres
Oakhurst Park5 acres
A.P. Hill Community Center Park3 acres
Appamatuck Park1 acres
DirectionsLow Street Park1 acres
Jefferson Street Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,797 conserved acres
12% of Petersburg’s land. Who manages Petersburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service926 ac
Town or city618 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits198 ac
Other state land96 ac
State conservation5 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land2 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 993 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 924 acPrivate Conservation · 198 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 81 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 43 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 64 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg National Battlefield Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 924 | Restricted |
| Lee Memorial Park Local Park | Not recorded | 746 | Open |
| ABT Holding Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 186 | Restricted |
| Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 133 | Open |
| American Battlefield Trust Holding Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 79 | Restricted |
| St. Vincent/Flank Rd. Ballfield Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Cameron Field Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Albert Jones/Peabody Field Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| CRLC Holding Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Restricted |
| Poplar Lawn Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Petersburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Petersburg
Farmers Street PoolIn West End Park Fairgrounds
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Petersburg
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Railroad Grade0.7 mi
closed 20200.2 mi
Central Park0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
13Tennis
10Basketball
9Baseball
2Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →49 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 21 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Petersburg National BattlefieldDistrict · listed 1966
About itCity MarketBuilding · listed 1969
About itBatterseaBuilding · listed 1969
About itMayfield CottageBuilding · listed 1969
About itFarmers' BankBuilding · listed 1972
About itBlandford ChurchBuilding · listed 1972
About itCentre HillBuilding · listed 1972
About itPetersburg CourthouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itMcIlwaine HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itStrawberry HillBuilding · listed 1974
About it37 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Petersburg: 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 | 14.1 | 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 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Petersburg →
Next door
Petersburg and its neighbors
Petersburg has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg | 12% | 1.2 | 20 | 77% | A− |
| Ettrick | 5% | 0.4 | 12 | 84% | B+ |
| Fort Gregg-Adams | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| 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 Petersburg
Where can I hike in Petersburg?
The longest trail networks: Petersburg National Battlefield Park, 8.6 miles; Lee Memorial Park, 1.3 miles; McKenzie Street Park, 0.3 miles; West End Park Fairgrounds, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Petersburg is conserved land?
12% 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 Petersburg’s trails?
Petersburg National Battlefield Park and Lee Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Petersburg?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Petersburg?
4,744 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Petersburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 662 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Petersburg have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #62 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 Petersburg 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 →