Photo: ECTran71 · CC BY-SA 4.020% of Moses Lake’s land is conserved: 2,305 acres
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Blue Heron Park (0.8 mi), McCosh Park (0.8 mi), Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex (0.6 mi). 14 miles of mapped trail cross Moses Lake, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #37 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Moses Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Moses Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Moses Lake is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #37 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Water is 14% of Moses Lake’s area (3 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 17%.
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
The longest trail network is Blue Heron Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McCosh Park
Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex
All 29 parks & preserves
2,305 conserved acres
20% of Moses Lake’s land. Water is left out: Moses Lake has 18.1 square miles of land and 3.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Moses Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moses Lake Resource Management Area | Bureau of Reclamation | 1,688 | Open |
| Loth98 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 285 | Open |
| Municipal Tracts Property Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Cascade Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Moses Lake State Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Lower Peninsula Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Larson Playfield Complex Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Mccosh Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Three Ponds Resource Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
38 places to go in Moses Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
4.4 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 Moses Lake: April to June and 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 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 44 | 55 | 64 | 74 | 80 | 89 | 88 | 79 | 63 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.2 |
August is the driest month (0.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 1.2 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Moses Lake →
Moses Lake and its neighbors
Moses Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moses Lake | 20% | 0.8 | 27 | 96% | A |
| Moses Lake North | under 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 80% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Moses Lake
Where can I hike in Moses Lake?
The longest trail networks: Blue Heron Park, 0.8 miles; McCosh Park, 0.8 miles; Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Moses Lake is conserved land?
20% 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 Moses Lake’s trails?
Blue Heron Park and McCosh Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Moses Lake?
4.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of painted or protected lanes, 1.4 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Moses Lake?
82,564 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Moses Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,552 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Moses Lake have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 Moses Lake 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 →