Seminary Hill Natural Area
Managed by Friends of Seminary Hill
64 acres2.4 mi of trail
Kiser TrailCanyon TrailIndian Pipe TrailBarner Drive Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Centralia
Centralia has 8.7 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Seminary Hill Natural Area (2.4 mi), Fort Borst Park (1.6 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 292 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #124 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
213 acres · of 7.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.7 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
292 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 0.3 mi paths
Highest peak
328 ft
Ham Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Centralia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Centralia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Centralia is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #124 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Centralia’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (292 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 75%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 57%
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
The longest trail network is Seminary Hill Natural Area, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Armory Hills Open Space
Managed by City of Centrailia
46 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Riverside Park
Managed by City of Centrailia
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Seminary Hill Natural Area64 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Friends of Seminary Hill
DirectionsFort Borst Park103 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorge Washington Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCentralia College Node1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWilbur Parkins Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Armory Hills Open Space46 acres · City of Centrailia
DirectionsRiverside Park13 acres · City of Centrailia
DirectionsBridge Street Park10 acres
DirectionsLogan Park1 acres
Cedar Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
213 conserved acres
4% of Centralia’s land. Who manages Centralia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city207 ac
County11 ac
Local Park · 160 acLocal Other or Unknown · 58 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Borst Park Local Park | Town or city | 93 | Open |
| Armory Hills Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Loth33 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Loth152 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Loth221 Local Other or Unknown | County | 11 | Unknown |
| Parkin Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Bridge Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| George Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Centralia Outdoor Pool Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Centralia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Centralia
Pearl Street Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Centralia
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Centralia
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Centralia
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Centralia
Ham Hill328 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Centralia
Southwest Washington Fairgrounds Park CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.1 mi
Kiser Trail0.5 mi
Indian Pipe Trail0.3 mi
Canyon Trail0.3 mi
Barner Drive Trail0.2 mi
Washington School Trail0.2 mi
Grand Fir Trail0.2 mi
Ridge Trail0.2 mi
Maple Trail0.2 mi
Pleasant Trail0.1 mi
Waterfall Trail0.1 mi
2 more trails
Fence Trail
0.1 miRim Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Tennis
8Softball
7Baseball
4Soccer
4Basketball
3Pickleball
2Multi-sport
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Joseph Borst HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itOlympic Club SaloonBuilding · listed 1980
About itGeorge E. Birge HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itCentralia Union DepotBuilding · listed 1988
About itUS Post Office-Centralia MainBuilding · listed 1991
About itEverest, Wesley, GravesiteSite · listed 1991
About itThe SentinelObject · listed 1991
About itCentralia Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003
About itHubbard BungalowBuilding · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Centralia: April to September
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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 67 | 72 | 78 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 51 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 7.2 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 4.7 | 7.7 | 7.8 |
July is the driest month (0.6 in) and August the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 7.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Centralia →
Next door
Centralia and its neighbors
Centralia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centralia | 4% | 1.1 | 16 | 82% | A− |
| Fords Prairie | 11% | 0.7 | 143 | 22% | B+ |
| Chehalis | 5% | 1.3 | 44 | 89% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Centralia
Where can I hike in Centralia?
The longest trail networks: Seminary Hill Natural Area, 2.4 miles; Fort Borst Park, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Centralia is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Washington town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Centralia’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Seminary Hill Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Centralia?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 0.3 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Centralia?
24,885 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Centralia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 292 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Centralia have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 of 285 in Washington. 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 Centralia 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 →