21 Best Urban Parks and Trails for City-Dwellers Seeking Green Spaces

This 85-acre park is perched on the banks of the Ohio River. Our favorite view is seen while walking, jogging, or biking across Big Four Bridge, where you savor the city’s skyline, especially at sunset or during the bridge’s nightly LED light show. History buffs: This sprawling space is also home to a 12-foot statue of one-time Kentucky resident Abraham Lincoln at a Lincoln Memorial, which also showcases four bas-reliefs (carvings) displaying various stages of Lincoln’s life.

This unique park spans the shoreline and islands along the James River. A lot of the park system overlooks Richmond’s skyline and is easily accessible from downtown (even though you’ll feel eons away from city life). Try Riverside Outfitters and RVA Paddlesports for a canoe, kayak, SUP, or a white water rafting adventure, before swapping water vessels for a bike ride at the Bicycle Skills Park on Belle Isle. Rock climbers, don’t miss the Manchester Climbing Wall, which is under the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge.

This urban Shangri-La boasts museums, theaters, performing arts organizations, outdoor activities, and the San Diego Zoo, all within its 1,200-acre parcel. You can even take a spin on the 1910 Herschell-Spillman menagerie carousel, which was built in New York in 1910 and brought to Los Angeles and Coronado before landing in Balboa Park in 1922. East Mesa has a nine-hole golf course, 18-hole disc golf course, picnic areas, athletic fields, a public pool, and tennis club. There are also Bocce ball courts and one of SoCal’s only velodromes for bicycle racing. You can spend a whole day in this part of the park alone—and you should.

First things first, let’s talk about Boise Whitewater Park, a makeshift surf town in a landlocked state, where locals ride waves year-round (in the summer, grab a beer and soak up the sun at The Yardarm). The Greenbelt proper journeys on for almost 25 miles, connecting more than a dozen parks with green space and a refuge for wildlife. Speaking of which, the MK Nature Center, is a great spot to see some of that thanks to an underwater fish viewing area (hello, sturgeon), and trails with birds and deer. 

File this under neat: 20% of this mixed-income, mixed-use community on the 700-acre site of Austin’s former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport is dedicated to parkland and open space. With roughly 140 acres of parks, trails, and green space, there’s a dizzying amount to explore. As a reward for tackling the loop trail at the 30-acre Mueller Lake Park, we’re all for grabbing victuals from local artisans and farmers at Texas Farmers Market or catching a flick at Alamo Drafthouse. 

Dubbed the “art park of the world,” this recreation ground a few miles from the banks of the Mississippi River has more than 1,400 monuments and memorials on display. The historic site encompasses the 1,728-acre battlefield of the Siege of Vicksburg, the final major military campaign of the Civil War in 1863. During your time here, marvel at stone-and-bronze oeuvres crafted by famous American sculptors, take a private walking tour, or pedal along the Battlefield Tour Road, an 18-mile loop with stellar panoramas. If you don’t bring your own bike, rent one from local outfitter Battlefield Bicycle.

This historic landmark is a waterfront green space that sits on 20 acres in America’s oldest city. Laze on the lawn, have a picnic under a tree, or see the oldest masonry fortification in the U.S. to learn some military history about the 16th Colonial Spanish settlement through the Fort’s transfer to the National Park’s Service. There’s something for every kind of visitor here. 

It’s no exaggeration to say this urban oasis is the Disney World equivalent of a city park (sans admission fees). The riverfront grounds have a skateboarding park and BMX tracks for off-road biking. There’s also an adventure playground for kids, a boathouse with free boat rentals on Peggy’s Pond, an expansive collection of sculptures called Art in the Park, and much more to get you in that Don Williams “livin’ on Tulsa Time” state of mind. Brought to life by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, don’t bring your day to an end without visiting Sky Garden, a horticultural area bursting with Gingko trees, shrubs, and seasonal flowers. 

An idyllic name matches its environs in this city escape complete with a beer garden, porch swings, tree canopy trail, ping pong, and corn hole. At the crossroads of three rivers, one standout facet of this park is its attention to accessibility; the paths have tactile surface features for vision-impaired individuals, wheelchair-accessible grassy areas and wide paths, and waterfront accessibility for easier transfer from wheelchair to watercraft.

When you’ve got a saturated cityscape in need of another park, you look up for inspiration. That's what Biederman Redevelopment Ventures did (President Dan Biederman was behind New York City’s Bryant Park overhaul). Located on the top of the Salesforce Transit Center, this rooftop refuge is a marvelous place to hang and catch up with buddies or take time off for yourself. The park also hosts a smattering of free programs like HIIT, yoga, cardio bootcamps, bird walks, tree tours, drum circles, and concerts.

There are 175 acres of lush landscapes to explore in downtown Columbus, along the Scioto River. Experience some or all of it on foot, bike, or paddle (rent or BYO kayak or paddleboard). When you need a break, there are plenty of swings and benches along the path, as well as a 15,000-square-foot interactive fountain and ample picnic space in one of nine parks. Further North, well-maintained paths lead you toward the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers, and put you at the trailheads of the 9-mile Scioto Trail and 13-mile Olentangy Trail. FYI: You can also climb the largest free outdoor climbing wall in the country at Scioto Mile, and there are free concerts in the summer. 

Add the Gene Leahy Mall at The RiverFront to your radar for summer 2022. This $325 million project reimagines three existing urban parks that stretch from downtown Omaha to the Missouri River, spanning some 72 acres. Guests can mosey through a sculpture garden with art installations from celebrated creatives, interactive water features, a dog park, large event lawn, and more. The second and the third phases of the park are scheduled to reopen in 2023.

For a breath of fresh air in Macon, venture to Amerson River Park, spread across some 180 acres of pristine forests, meadows, and wetlands surrounded by a river oxbow of Ocmulgee River. Lace up your sneaks for a run along the seven miles of walking trails or enjoy kayaking, canoeing, and tubing on the river to beat the afternoon heat after exploring some of the high bluffs earlier in the day.

They don’t call it “Trailahassee” for nothing. At St. Marks River Preserve State Park, expect ample trails for hiking, horseback riding, and off-ride bicycling, situated on the enchanting banks of the river headwaters. A must-visit is the St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail, which traces the route of Florida’s first and longest-operating railroad. It meanders along for 20.5 miles from Tallahassee to St. Marks, a coastal enclave on the Gulf of Mexico.   

The neighborhood of Chelsea is on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. While the area is mostly residential—with townhouses, rowhouses, and apartments lining the sidewalks—there are plenty of retail businsses; it's also known as a global art hot spot. A walk through this culturally rich urban landscape is a great way to spend some time.

Located in the Golden Gate National Recreation area, Lands End is a breathtaking, rocky, and rugged stretch of coast right at the mouth of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. While there are numerous trails along the railbeds of the former Cliff House Railway, the most popular is a section called the Coastal Trail.  

The Cultural Trail is an 8.1-mile-long urban multi-use trail and linear park, located right in the heart of Indianapolis. Running along the Cultural Trail are popular attractions such as Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Market East, Massachusetts Avenue, Canal and White River State Park, Wholesale District, and more. It's a wonderful way to spend a day in the Hoosier State.

Located in Greenville County, South Carolina, the Swamp Rabbit Trail is a 19.9-mile multi-use route. It begins at Greenville Technical College and ends about a mile north of the Travelers Rest city limits. Once acting as the site for the Greenville & Northern Railway, this stretch of trail is wonderfully restorative.

Stretching along the banks of the Schuykill River, this trail is a beautiful place to stretch your legs and unwind a bit. There's currently a 19.5-mile stretch from Reading to Pottstown, as well as a 23.2-mile portion from Oaks to South Street in Center City. Much of the trail runs along the former East Coast Greenway—a 3,000-mile trail system connecting Maine to Florida. The possibilities are almost endless as to how much trail time you can log here.

Griffith Park in Southern Califonia covers 4,310 acres, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. Having been referred to as "the Central Park of LA" this park and trail system is much more rugged and wild than NY's Central Park. Hiking here makes you feel miles away from civilization. And perched atop the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood is the magnificent Griffith Park Observatory. Since its opening in 1935, the Observatory has become a wildly popular tourist attraction.