Photo: Mgoudy85 · Public domainParkersburg has 252 acres of parks, 8.6 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: City Park (0.7 mi). 1.9 miles of mapped trail cross Parkersburg, 0.2 per square mile of land. 4% of Parkersburg’s land is conserved, about 329 acres.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #40 of 61 in West Virginia. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Parkersburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Parkersburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Parkersburg is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #40 of 61 in West Virginia. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few West Virginia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Parkersburg’s 4% is ahead of 72% of West Virginia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 27% of them.
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 City Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fort Boreman Park
Fort Neal Park
All 8 parks & preserves
329 conserved acres
4% of Parkersburg’s land. Who manages Parkersburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Boreman Local Park | County | 252 | Open |
| Johnson T. Janes Nature Preserve and Conservation Park Local Park | Not recorded | 197 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 84 | Open |
| Southwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Point Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Corning Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Fort Neal Park Local Park | Not recorded | 15 | Open |
| Quincy Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
17 places to go in Parkersburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Plus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 lakes & rivers
1.3 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.
41 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
29 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Parkersburg: April and August
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 45 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 68 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
November is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Parkersburg →
Parkersburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkersburg | 4% | 0.2 | 9 | 54% | C+ |
| Vienna | 16% | 1.6 | 40 | 79% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Parkersburg
Where can I hike in Parkersburg?
The longest trail networks: City Park, 0.7 miles; Fort Boreman Park, 0.4 miles; Southwood Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Parkersburg is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 2% for a West Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Parkersburg’s trails?
City Park and Fort Boreman Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Parkersburg?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Parkersburg?
5,079 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Parkersburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 252 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Parkersburg have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 of 61 in West Virginia. 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 Parkersburg 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 →