Pine River Park
Park
63 acres4.7 mi of trail
Alma Mountain Bike Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Cushing and Benedict, Alma MI · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Alma
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Alma
5.4 miles of mapped trail cross Alma, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Pine River Park (4.7 mi). 5% of Alma’s land is conserved, about 193 acres.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #164 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
193 acres · of 6.0 sq mi of land
Trails
5.4 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
149 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.3 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 1.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Alma?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alma have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alma is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #164 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Alma’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (149 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 77%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Pine River Park, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Euclid Ball Fields
Managed by City of Alma
16 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wright Park
Managed by City of Alma
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Pine River Park63 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
DirectionsHighland Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Alma
DirectionsWright Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Alma
DirectionsEuclid Ball Fields16 acres · City of Alma
DirectionsWashington Park6 acres · City of Alma
DirectionsHoliday Park5 acres · City of Alma
DirectionsRiverside Park4 acres · City of Alma
DirectionsScots Park3 acres
DirectionsKing Park3 acres
Scottish Heights Trailhead2 acres · City of Alma
DirectionsScotland Yard Park2 acres · City of Alma
DirectionsHampton Park1 acres · City of Alma
West Park1 acres · City of Alma
Who protects it
193 conserved acres
5% of Alma’s land. Who manages Alma’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city116 ac
Private owners75 ac
Other state land1 ac
Local Park · 101 acPrivate Park · 69 acLocal Recreation Area · 16 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 6 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine River Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 69 | Restricted |
| Pine River Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Euclid Ball Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Wright Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Holiday Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| King Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Alma
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Alma
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Alma
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Alma
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Alma
The Runway Disc Golf Course
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Alma Mountain Bike Trail3.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.3 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
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
12Baseball
6Soccer
6Basketball
1Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Alma: July and September
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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Alma →
Next door
Alma and its neighbors
Alma has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | 5% | 0.9 | 16 | 99% | A− |
| Arcada Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 111 | 33% | C+ |
| St. Louis | 7% | 0.3 | 4 | 49% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Alma
Where can I hike in Alma?
The longest trail networks: Pine River Park, 4.7 miles; Wright Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alma is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 5% for a Michigan town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Alma’s trails?
Pine River Park and Euclid Ball Fields don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Alma?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Alma?
2,153 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alma or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 149 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Alma have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #164 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Alma 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 →