American River Parkway
Managed by Sacramento County Parks
743 acres12.6 mi of trail
Levee Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Carmichael
9% of Carmichael’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
19 miles of mapped trail cross Carmichael, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: American River Parkway (12.6 mi), Gibbons Park (1.2 mi), Schweitzer Grove (1 mi). 9% of Carmichael’s land is conserved, about 898 acres.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #250 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
898 acres · of 15.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
785 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
40 mi
38 mi lanes · 2.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Carmichael?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carmichael have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carmichael is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #250 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carmichael’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (785 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 71%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 American River Parkway, with 12.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Schweitzer Grove
Park
16 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
O’Donnell Heritage Park
Park
9 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Del Campo Park
Managed by Carmichael Recreation and Park District
24 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mission North Park
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
American River Parkway743 acres · 12.6 mi of trail · Sacramento County Parks
DirectionsGibbons Park17 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSchweitzer Grove16 acres · 1 mi of trail
Jan Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
O’Donnell Heritage Park9 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Del Campo Park24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Carmichael Recreation and Park District
DirectionsMission North Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Park Oaks Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Sunrise Recreation & Park District
DirectionsCarmichael Park34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsArcade Creek Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAncil Hoffman Park22 acres
DirectionsJensen Garden Park12 acres
La Sierra Park8 acres
DirectionsEugene H. Ahner Park6 acres · Sunrise Recreation & Park District
DirectionsMaddox Park6 acres
Patriots Park3 acres
Stollwood Park1 acres
DirectionsBird Track Park1 acres
Who protects it
898 conserved acres
9% of Carmichael’s land. Who manages Carmichael’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County691 ac
Regional agency210 ac
Local Recreation Area · 725 acLocal Park · 152 acLocal Conservation Area · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| American River Parkway Local Recreation Area | County | 535 | Open |
| Ancil Hoffman Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 153 | Restricted |
| La Sierra Community Center Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 34 | Open |
| Carmichael Park Local Park | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Del Campo Park Local Park | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Schweitzer Grove Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Jan Park Local Park | Regional agency | 13 | Open |
| Sutter-Jensen Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Mission North Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Gibbons Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Carmichael
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Carmichael
Pool 2
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Carmichael
31 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Carmichael
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Carmichael
Group community site
DirectionsPicnic TablesIn Jan Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Carmichael
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.6 mi
Levee Path1.1 mi
Jo Smith Nature Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
40 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
38 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
38Tennis
30Basketball
12Baseball
7Pickleball
7Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Carmichael: April and May
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 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 62 | 67 | 73 | 81 | 89 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 79 | 65 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.6 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 4.3 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Carmichael →
Next door
Carmichael and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fair Oaks40 miRancho Cordova28 miCarmichael19 miArden-Arcade17 miLa Riviera9.1 miCitrus Heights6.1 miFoothill Farms1.6 miNorth Highlands0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmichael | 9% | 1.2 | 10 | 96% | A− |
| Citrus Heights | 3% | 0.4 | 4 | 90% | B− |
| North Highlands | 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 90% | C− |
| Rancho Cordova | 11% | 0.8 | 20 | 95% | A |
| Arden-Arcade | 3% | 1.1 | 4 | 94% | B+ |
| La Riviera | 12% | 4.8 | 13 | 99%+ | A |
| Foothill Farms | 3% | 0.4 | 2 | 90% | B− |
| Fair Oaks | 22% | 3.7 | 48 | 81% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carmichael
Where can I hike in Carmichael?
The longest trail networks: American River Parkway, 12.6 miles; Gibbons Park, 1.2 miles; Schweitzer Grove, 1 miles; Jan Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carmichael is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Carmichael’s trails?
American River Parkway and Gibbons Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carmichael?
40 miles of bike routes are on the map: 38 of painted or protected lanes, 2.0 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Carmichael?
24,336 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carmichael or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 785 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carmichael have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #250 of 847 in California. 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 Carmichael 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 →