Observatory Hill State Park
Park
193 acres3.1 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Goldendale
Goldendale has 220 acres of parks, 63 for every 1,000 residents
4.1 miles of mapped trail cross Goldendale, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Observatory Hill State Park (3.1 mi). 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #95 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
31 acres · of 3.0 sq mi of land
Trails
4.1 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
220 ac
63 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
What kind of outdoors town is Goldendale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Goldendale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Goldendale is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #95 of 285 in Washington. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Goldendale’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4APark land63 acres of park per 1,000 residents (220 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home91% 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 82%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 67%
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 Observatory Hill State Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ekone Park
Managed by City of Goldendale
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Little Klickitat River Disc Golf Course and Park
Park
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Little Klickitat River Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Observatory Hill State Park193 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGoldendale Observatory5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Washington State Parks
Goldendale Veteran's Memorial Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Goldendale
DirectionsEkone Park14 acres · City of Goldendale
Little Klickitat River Disc Golf Course and Park12 acres
Little Klickitat River Park7 acres
Andress Family Wildlife Nature Preservation Area3 acres
Goldendale Courthouse Park1 acres · city of Goldendale
Hornibrook Park1 acres
Who protects it
31 conserved acres
2% of Goldendale’s land. Who manages Goldendale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city13 ac
County7 ac
Private owners6 ac
State parks5 ac
Local Park · 20 acLocal Recreation Area · 6 acState Park · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekone Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Little Klickitat River Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Little League Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Goldendale Observatory State Park | State parks | 5 | Open |
| World War Ii Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Goldendale Courthouse Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
| Hornibrook Neighbrohood Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Goldendale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Goldendale
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Goldendale
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Goldendale
Little Klickitat River Disc Golf CourseIn Little Klickitat River Disc Golf Course and Park
DirectionsBiking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Baseball
6Tennis
2Basketball
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Goldendale: 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 52 | 60 | 69 | 76 | 86 | 86 | 77 | 62 | 47 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
July is the driest month (0.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 3.3 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Goldendale →
Questions about parks and trails in Goldendale
Where can I hike in Goldendale?
The longest trail networks: Observatory Hill State Park, 3.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Goldendale is conserved land?
2% 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 Goldendale’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Observatory Hill State Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Goldendale?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Goldendale?
9,462 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Goldendale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 220 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Goldendale have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #95 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 Goldendale 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 →