Colonial National Historical Park
Managed by National Park Service
155 acres
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Ron Cogswell · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Williamsburg
Williamsburg has 28 miles of mapped trails, 3.1 for every square mile of land
18% of Williamsburg’s land is conserved, about 1,060 acres. 81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 155 acres are parks and preserves, 9.8 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #53 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,060 acres · of 8.9 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
3.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
155 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.3 mi
3.1 mi lanes · 1.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Williamsburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Williamsburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Williamsburg is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #53 of 253 in Virginia. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Williamsburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (155 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home81% 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 87%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 79%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Redoubt Park
Park
86 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Palace Green2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Common's Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsColonial National Historical Park155 acres · National Park Service
DirectionsRedoubt Park86 acres
Quarterpath Park22 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Municipal Park11 acres
DirectionsGeddy Park4 acres
DirectionsBicentennial Park3 acres
DirectionsCollege Landing Park2 acres
Quarterpath Villiage Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,060 conserved acres
18% of Williamsburg’s land. Who manages Williamsburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land794 ac
National Park Service191 ac
County47 ac
Town or city26 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits22 ac
Not recorded47 ac
Local Recreation Area · 774 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 189 acLocal Park · 121 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 23 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Woods Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 774 | Restricted |
| Colonial National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 189 | Restricted |
| Quarter Path Park Local Park | County | 60 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| Redoubt Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| ABT Holding State Historic or Cultural Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Restricted |
| College Landing Park Local Park | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Highland Park Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bi-Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Strawberry Plains Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Williamsburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Williamsburg
Glazener Pool
DirectionsMcCardle Pool
DirectionsPort Anne Pool
DirectionsWestgate Historic Timeshare - Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Williamsburg
Quarterpath Park PlaygroundIn Quarterpath Park
DirectionsSt Stephen Lutheran Church Playground
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Williamsburg
Friendship Point
DirectionsSquirrel Point
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.3 miUnpaved · 22.8 mi
Tough Man Bike Trail2.9 mi
Matoaka Woods Trail2.5 mi
Matoaka Lake Trail1.1 mi
Schoolhouse Bike Trail0.7 mi
Monticello Trail0.6 mi
Peninsula Trail0.6 mi
Connector0.3 mi
Strawberry Spur Trail0.1 mi
New Section0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
36Tennis
8Soccer
8Baseball
3Softball
2Football
2Volleyball
2Multi-sport
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register, 6 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 80 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Wren Building, College of William and MaryNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1966
About itChandler Court and Pollard Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996
About itWilliamsburg InnBuilding · listed 1997
About itWhaley, Matthew, SchoolBuilding · listed 2004
About itMerchants Square and Resort Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006
About itFirst Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 2017
About itArmistead HouseBuilding · listed 2020
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Williamsburg: 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 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 49 | 53 | 60 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Williamsburg →
Questions about parks and trails in Williamsburg
How much of Williamsburg is conserved land?
18% 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 Williamsburg’s trails?
Colonial National Historical Park and Redoubt Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Williamsburg?
5.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.1 of painted or protected lanes, 1.6 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Williamsburg?
22,144 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Williamsburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 155 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Williamsburg have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #53 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 Williamsburg 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 →