Photo: Mojo Hand · CC BY-SA 3.0Salem has 527 acres of parks, 21 for every 1,000 residents
81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Salem’s land is conserved, about 525 acres. 4.8 miles of mapped trail cross Salem, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #113 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Salem?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Salem have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salem is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #113 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ted Webber Park
All 5 parks & preserves
525 conserved acres
6% of Salem’s land. Who manages Salem’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mowles Spring Park Local Park | Town or city | 294 | Open |
| Salem Civic Center Complex Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Longwood Park Local Park | Not recorded | 37 | Open |
| Lake Spring Park Local Park | Not recorded | 25 | Open |
| James I. Moyer Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Bowman Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Roanoke River Greenway Local Park | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
| 419 Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Oakey Field Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
2 places to go in Salem
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.
2 lakes & rivers
9.4 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.
19 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
7 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Salem: 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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 50 | 59 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 80 | 70 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Salem →
Salem and its neighbors
Salem has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | 6% | 0.3 | 21 | 81% | B+ |
| Roanoke | 8% | 1.3 | 18 | 81% | A− |
| Cave Spring | 1% | 0.3 | 2 | 30% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Salem
Where can I hike in Salem?
The longest trail networks: Rotary Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salem is conserved land?
6% 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 Salem’s trails?
Longwood Park and Rotary Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Salem?
9.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of painted or protected lanes and 7.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Salem?
34,165 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salem or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 527 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Salem have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #113 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 Salem 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 →