setting the bar high

San Antonio ranks among top-10 best park systems in Texas

San Antonio has one of the best park systems in Texas.

San Antonio and its stellar parks have been ranked the No. 7 best park system in Texas, according to the newly released ParkScore Index.

Every year, the Trust for Public Land, a land conservation nonprofit, rates the park systems in the 100 largest American cities based on their accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

The best park systems in the country are located in Washington, D.C. (No. 1); Irvine, California (No. 2); Minneapolis (No. 3) and St. Paul (No. 4), Minnesota; and Cincinnati, Ohio (No. 5).

San Antonio's No. 61 ParkScore ranking in 2026 is slightly lower than its No. 57 ranking last year, but the Trust for Public Land says that's because of "upward moves from other cities," rather than negative changes to the local park system.

The organization said the median size of a park in San Antonio spans 10.2 acres, or nearly double the national ParkScore average of 5.4 acres. However, many San Antonians lack adequate access to a park, which is a crucial factor in the report's methodology. Currently, less than half of all San Antonio residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared to the national average of 76 percent. The city also invests less money to maintain its park system — about $152 per resident — than the national average of $154 per resident.

Elsewhere in Texas, Plano and Frisco in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex boast the best park systems in the state.

Molly Morgan, the Texas State Director and Associate Vice President of Trust for Public Land, said in the release that Texas' high-scoring performance in the annual index has proved that it is making park accessibility a statewide priority.

"Cities across the Lone Star State are making serious investments, opening new parks, partnering with school districts, and closing gaps that have existed for decades," Morgan said. "They’re showing what’s possible when Texas gets serious about parks."

Morgan added that there's still more work to be done to increase park accessibility to the 9 million Texans who don't have a park within a 10-minute walk of their homes.

Here's how the rest of Texas stacks up in the national ranking:

No. 13 – Plano
No. 30 – Frisco
No. 38 – Dallas
No. 45 – Arlington
No. 47 – Austin
No. 58 – Fort Worth
No. 61 – El Paso (tied with San Antonio)
No. 64 – Garland
No. 69 – Houston
No. 71 – Irving
No. 72 – Corpus Christi
No. 77 – Laredo
No. 96 – Lubbock

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Good, clean volunteering

Texans target 34,000 pounds of trash with San Antonio cleanup

Photo courtesy of Trash Free Gulf

Some of the cleanups involve kayaking.

Texans have been volunteering in overdrive this spring to banish litter across the state, and San Antonians still have some opportunities to join before the initiative is over at the end of May. Trash Free Gulf, presented by the Gulf Trust and H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future, has a cleanup left in the Alamo City.

This campaign focuses specifically on trash in the water, including streams, rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal waters, a press release says.

Other organizations have also joined the presenting sponsors in helping: Keep San Antonio Beautiful, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Keep Texas Beautiful, Yogi Bins, Austin Parks Foundation, and more in their respective regions.

The goal is to beat last year's cleanup, which would mean collecting more than 34,000 pounds of trash. Trash Free Gulf will also analyze the type and amount of trash and update Keep Texas Beautiful, which will in turn work on community programs that target those types of waste.

“We’re working to change how Texans think about their relationship with the Gulf,” said Gulf Trust executive director Jay Kleberg in a press release. “Over the next 60 days, we aim to keep 45,000 pounds of trash from reaching our coastline and turn that effort into a tradition Texans can be proud of. Since all 31 million Texans are connected by these waterways, the responsibility to protect them starts with us.”

San Antonio locals can volunteer at 2760 Camino Coahuilteca near Mission Espada from 9 am-noon on May 23. Register and sign waivers here. In addition to the Alamo City cleanup, Kerrville will be joining the effort from 7:30 am-noon at Kerrville Schreiner Park on May 30.

Volunteers can browse cleanup dates throughout the state and sign up at trashfreegulf.com.

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