Wheeling Island Marina
Managed by United States of America
12 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Wheeling
5% of Wheeling’s land is conserved: 459 acres
The biggest trail networks: Wheeling Island Marina (0.6 mi), Wheeling Heritage Port (0.5 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 474 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #23 of 61 in West Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
459 acres · of 13.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.2 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
474 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Wheeling?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wheeling have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wheeling is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #23 of 61 in West Virginia. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wheeling’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical WV town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · WV 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (474 acres) · WV 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · WV 71% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 63%
LessMore
West Virginia towns of 2,500+ (61)Ahead of 63%
Few West Virginia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Wheeling’s 5% is ahead of 78% of West Virginia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% of them.
Water is 14% of Wheeling’s area (2 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 Wheeling Island Marina, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oglebay Park
Park
237 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
Wheeling Island Marina12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · United States of America
DirectionsWheeling Heritage Port8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsGarden Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsEastern Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOglebay Park237 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBridge Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTunnel Green3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWheeling Park35 acres
DirectionsOhio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge33 acres
DirectionsOhio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge - Upper Twin Island17 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
McConkey Memorial Park2 acres
Directions25th Street Park1 acres
DirectionsTriangle Park1 acres
DirectionsCenter Wheeling Basketball Court1 acres
DirectionsEdgewood Park1 acres
Who protects it
459 conserved acres
5% of Wheeling’s land. Water is left out: Wheeling has 13.6 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Wheeling’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city439 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service25 ac
County1 ac
Not recorded445 ac
Local Park · 881 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 25 acPrivate Conservation · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglebay Park Local Park | Not recorded | 499 | Open |
| Wheeling Park Local Park | Town or city | 200 | Open |
| JB Chambers Youth Community Park Local Park | Not recorded | 69 | Open |
| Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 25 | Restricted |
| Garden Park Local Park | Not recorded | 20 | Open |
| Elm Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Bridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Heritage Port Local Park | Not recorded | 10 | Open |
| N. 24th Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| 16th Street Soccer Field Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Wheeling
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Wheeling
Wheeling Park PoolIn Wheeling Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wheeling
Edgwood Playground
DirectionsHeritage Port PlaygroundIn Wheeling Heritage Port
DirectionsStifel PlaygroundIn Wheeling Park
DirectionsWheeling Country Day School Playground
DirectionsWoodsdale Community Playground
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Wheeling
Fitzsimmons Family Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Wheeling
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Wheeling
1 peak without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Wheeling
Wheeling Island Marina Disc GolfIn Wheeling Island Marina
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Wheeling
14th Street GreenhousesGrow Ohio Valley
DirectionsEast Wheeling Community Park
DirectionsFarm 18
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
28Tennis
19Baseball
14Basketball
3Football
3Soccer
2Softball
1Skate park
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →46 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 28 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Shepherd HallBuilding · listed 1970
About itCenter Wheeling MarketBuilding · listed 1975
About itHenry K. List HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itMount de Chantal Visitation AcademyBuilding · listed 1978
About itWheeling Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Passenger StationBuilding · listed 1979
About itOglebay Mansion MuseumBuilding · listed 1979
About itWheeling Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itMonroe Street East Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itElm Grove Stone Arch BridgeStructure · listed 1981
About itCarter FarmBuilding · listed 1983
About it34 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wheeling: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wheeling →
Next door
Wheeling and its neighbors
Wheeling has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wheeling3.2 miPease Township2.3 miPultney Township1.5 miBethlehem0.9 miMartins Ferry0.2 miBellaire0.1 miTriadelphia0.1 miBridgeport0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeling | 5% | 0.2 | 18 | 82% | B |
| Bethlehem | 1% | 0.3 | 14 | 83% | B− |
| Triadelphia | — 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 Wheeling
Where can I hike in Wheeling?
The longest trail networks: Wheeling Island Marina, 0.6 miles; Wheeling Heritage Port, 0.5 miles; Garden Park, 0.3 miles; Oglebay Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wheeling is conserved land?
5% 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 Wheeling’s trails?
Wheeling Island Marina and Wheeling Heritage Port don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wheeling?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 12 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Wheeling?
6,411 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wheeling or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 474 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wheeling have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #23 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 Wheeling 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 →