North Highlands has 79 acres of parks, 1.7 for every 1,000 residents
90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.1 miles of mapped trail cross North Highlands. 1% of North Highlands’ land is conserved, about 75 acres.
Ahead of 25% of U.S. towns · #727 of 847 in California. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is North Highlands?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does North Highlands have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Highlands is ahead of 25% of U.S. towns, #727 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oakdale Park
Planehaven Park
All 7 parks & preserves
75 conserved acres
1% of North Highlands’ land. Who manages North Highlands’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Street Park Local Park | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Highlands Community Sports Complex Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Oakdale Park Local Park | Regional agency | 9 | Restricted |
| Brock Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Strizek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Karl Rosario Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Unnamed Site - Sacramento, City of Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 3 | Closed |
| Arcade Creek Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Larchmont Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
5 places to go in North Highlands
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
11 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.
The best walking months in North Highlands: 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 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 62 | 67 | 73 | 81 | 90 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 79 | 65 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 4.2 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Highlands →
North Highlands 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Highlands | 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 90% | C− |
| Carmichael | 9% | 1.2 | 10 | 96% | A− |
| Sacramento | 9% | 1.0 | 10 | 97% | A− |
| McClellan Park | 1% | 0.1 | 14 | 98% | B− |
| Foothill Farms | 3% | 0.4 | 2 | 90% | B− |
| Arden-Arcade | 3% | 1.1 | 4 | 94% | B+ |
| Antelope | 6% | 0.8 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
| Rio Linda | 9% | 0.2 | 28 | 81% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Highlands
How much of North Highlands is conserved land?
1% 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 North Highlands’ trails?
Hamilton Street Park and Brock Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Highlands?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near North Highlands?
18,344 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Highlands or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 79 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Highlands have?
Ahead of 25% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #727 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 North Highlands 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 →