98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in South Riding
129 acres are parks and preserves, 3.8 per 1,000 residents. 0.6 miles of mapped trail cross South Riding, 0.1 per square mile of land. 2% of South Riding’s land is conserved, about 78 acres.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns · #187 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is South Riding?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does South Riding have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Riding is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns, #187 of 253 in Virginia. The share of residents near a park holds 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Highland Hills Park
All 6 parks & preserves
78 conserved acres
2% of South Riding’s land. Who manages South Riding’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conklin Park Local Park | Not recorded | 68 | Open |
| Dulles Multipurpose Center Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| South Riding Park Site Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| East Gate Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
41 places to go in South Riding
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
36 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
4 lakes & rivers
1.1 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.
The best walking months in South Riding: 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in South Riding →
South Riding and its neighbors
South Riding has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Riding | 2% | 0.1 | 4 | 98% | C+ |
| Stone Ridge | 3% | 1.0 | 3 | 94% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Riding
Where can I hike in South Riding?
The longest trail networks: Eastgate Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Riding 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 South Riding’s trails?
Elk Lick Park and Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Riding?
1.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near South Riding?
18,282 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Riding or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 129 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Riding have?
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #187 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 South Riding 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 →