Dick Thurnau Memorial Park
Park
33 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in White Center
6% of White Center’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
2.0 miles of mapped trail cross White Center, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Dick Thurnau Memorial Park (0.5 mi). 6% of White Center’s land is conserved, about 82 acres.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #128 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
82 acres · of 2.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.0 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
88 ac
5.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
0.7 mi lanes · 0.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is White Center?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does White Center have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, White Center is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #128 of 285 in Washington. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of White Center’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (88 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13CParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 74%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 55%
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 Dick Thurnau Memorial Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
White Center Heights Park
Managed by King County Parks
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
White Center Pond Natural Area
Nature preserve
13 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Steve Cox Memorial Park
Managed by King County Parks and Recreation
12 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Dick Thurnau Memorial Park33 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWhite Center Heights Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · King County Parks
DirectionsNorth Shorewood Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
White Center Pond Natural Area13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSteve Cox Memorial Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · King County Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWho protects it
82 conserved acres
6% of White Center’s land. Who manages White Center’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County67 ac
Regional agency16 ac
Local Park · 73 acLocal Conservation Area · 9 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Thurnau Memorial Park Local Park | County | 33 | Open |
| Evergreen Athletic Field Local Park | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Steve Cox Memorial Park Local Park | County | 12 | Open |
| White Center Pond Natural Area Local Conservation Area | County | 9 | Open |
| North Shorewood Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| White Center Heights Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
Things to do
21 places to go in White Center
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in White Center
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in White Center
Astroland PlaygroundIn Steve Cox Memorial Park
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in White Center
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Disc golf in White Center
Ralph Williamson Memorial Disc Golf CourseIn Dick Thurnau Memorial Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.7 mi
Seola Pond Nature Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
3.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Basketball
5Baseball
4Tennis
2Soccer
1Multi-sport
1Football
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).
White Center Fieldhouse and Caretaker CottageDistrict · listed 2015
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in White Center: 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 65 | 70 | 76 | 76 | 71 | 60 | 51 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 6.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 6.6 | 6.2 |
July is the driest month (0.7 in) and August the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 6.6 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in White Center →
Next door
White Center and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Center | 6% | 0.9 | 6 | 99% | B+ |
| Seattle | 11% | 2.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
| Burien | 5% | 1.1 | 8 | 97% | A− |
| Boulevard Park | 1% | 1.7 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in White Center
Where can I hike in White Center?
The longest trail networks: Dick Thurnau Memorial Park, 0.5 miles; White Center Heights Park, 0.3 miles; White Center Pond Natural Area, 0.1 miles; Steve Cox Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of White Center is conserved land?
6% 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 White Center’s trails?
Dick Thurnau Memorial Park and White Center Heights Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in White Center?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes, 0.5 of off-road paths and 3.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near White Center?
14,918 acres of parks and open public land lie inside White Center or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 88 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does White Center have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #128 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 White Center 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 →