Photo: DwayneP at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Radford has 7.5 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Bisset Park (1.5 mi). 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Radford’s land is conserved, about 287 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #106 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Radford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Radford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Radford is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #106 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 Bisset Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 9 parks & preserves
287 conserved acres
5% of Radford’s land. Who manages Radford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 184 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisset Park Local Park | Not recorded | 77 | Open |
| Wildwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| River View Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| MDI Cultural Heritage Park Local Park | Not recorded | 2 | Open |
| John Dobbins Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Joe Hodge Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Howard M. Sisson Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Sparky's Dog Run Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Haven Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
7 places to go in Radford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
7.4 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.
9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Radford: April, June 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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 48 | 56 | 67 | 74 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 67 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Radford →
Radford and its neighbors
Radford has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radford | 5% | 0.8 | 11 | 83% | B+ |
| Plum Creek | 1% | 0.3 | 14 | 61% | C+ |
| Fairlawn | 6% | 1.1 | under 1 | 66% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Radford
Where can I hike in Radford?
The longest trail networks: Bisset Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Radford 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 Radford’s trails?
Bisset Park and Wildwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Radford?
7.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 5.8 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Radford?
7,366 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Radford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 187 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Radford have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #106 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 Radford 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 →