Lake Sylvia State Park
Managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
251 acres2.4 mi of trail
Lake TrailSylvia Creek Forestry TrailBrownie TrailNorth Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Montesano
More than half of Montesano’s land is conserved: 79%
79% of Montesano’s land is conserved, about 5,480 acres. 5,507 acres are parks and preserves, 1,316 per 1,000 residents. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Montesano, 2.5 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
79%
5,480 acres · of 10.9 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,507 ac
1,316 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Montesano?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Montesano have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Montesano is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Montesano’s overall grade.
Conserved land79% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land1,316 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,507 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)#2 of 285
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Lake Sylvia State Park, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ferbrache Wildlife Area
Managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Ferbrache Wildlife AreaWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Lake Sylvia State Park251 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
DirectionsFleet Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFerbrache Wildlife Area10 acres · Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsJohn W. Vessey Memorial Ball Park3 acres
DirectionsKelsey Park1 acres · City of Montesano
DirectionsWho protects it
5,480 conserved acres
79% of Montesano’s land. Who manages Montesano’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city9,942 ac
State parks251 ac
State fish & wildlife20 ac
Local Conservation Area · 5,160 acLocal Other or Unknown · 4,629 acState Park · 251 acLocal Park · 150 acState Conservation Area · 20 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montesano City Forest Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 5,160 | Open |
| Loth96 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 4,629 | Open |
| Lake Sylvia State Park | State parks | 251 | Open |
| Lake Sylvia State Park Local Park | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| Olympic-Willapa Hills-South Puget Sound Wildlife Area Complex State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Restricted |
| Ferbrache State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Open |
| Kelsey Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| John Vessey Memorial Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Montesano
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Montesano
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Montesano
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Montesano
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Montesano
Ferbrache Boat LaunchIn Ferbrache Wildlife Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Montesano
She's a Butte Falls
DirectionsPicnic areas in Montesano
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Montesano
Lake Sylvia State Park CampgroundFee · In Lake Sylvia State Park · Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.5 miUnpaved · 17.0 mi
West Fork Trail3.6 mi
Cougar Rocks Trail1.5 mi
Lake Trail1.5 mi
Sylvia Creek Forestry Trail1.5 mi
Sylvia Ridge Trail1.4 mi
Brownie Trail1.1 mi
East Fork Trail1.0 mi
Schilly Trail0.8 mi
O.D.0.8 mi
Jungle Trail0.8 mi
15 more trails
Sergeant Meowstein
0.7 miAunt Bethany
0.6 miNorth Trail
0.6 miSatsop Crest Trail
0.6 miA-1600 Trail
0.6 miMid-Earth
0.6 miWest Fork Link-The Jungle
0.5 miNeopolitan Charlie
0.5 miEspresso Shot
0.5 miX Link (Dirty Peanut)
0.5 miHamby Hill Loop
0.5 miGary Laser Eyes
0.4 miHamby Hill East
0.4 miSnake Oil
0.4 miSteam Donkey
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
5Basketball
5Soccer
5Baseball
3Tennis
1Pickleball
1Softball
1Football
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
US Post Office-Montesano MainBuilding · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Montesano: May 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 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 65 | 69 | 74 | 75 | 71 | 61 | 51 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 13.1 | 8.1 | 9.4 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 8.2 | 13.2 | 12.8 |
July is the driest month (0.9 in) and August the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 13.2 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in Montesano →
Next door
Montesano and its neighbors
Montesano has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montesano | 79% | 2.5 | 1,316 | 94% | A+ |
| Brady | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Montesano
Where can I hike in Montesano?
The longest trail networks: Lake Sylvia State Park, 2.4 miles; Fleet Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Montesano is conserved land?
79% 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 Montesano’s trails?
Lake Sylvia State Park and Ferbrache Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Montesano?
8,558 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Montesano or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,507 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Montesano have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 Montesano 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 →