Jean Klock Park
Park
83 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Humbles Art · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Benton Harbor
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Benton Harbor
The biggest trail networks: Jean Klock Park (0.5 mi). 2.9 miles of mapped trail cross Benton Harbor, 0.7 per square mile of land. 149 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #243 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
93 acres · of 4.4 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
149 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.3 mi
7.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Benton Harbor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Benton Harbor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Benton Harbor is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #243 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Benton Harbor’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (149 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks close to home96% 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 75%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 65%
Water is 5% of Benton Harbor’s area (0 of 5 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Jean Klock Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hall Park
Managed by City of Benton Harbor
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Union Park
Park
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Charles Yarbrough Riverview Drive Park
Managed by City of Benton Harbor
4 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Benton Harbor Boat Launch
All 8 parks & preserves
Jean Klock Park83 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Charles Yarbrough Riverview Drive Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Benton Harbor
DirectionsBenton Harbor Boat Launch4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFisherman's Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHall Park13 acres · City of Benton Harbor
Union Park10 acres
Broadway Park2 acres
Cass Park2 acres · City of Benton Harbor
Who protects it
93 conserved acres
3% of Benton Harbor’s land. Water is left out: Benton Harbor has 4.4 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Benton Harbor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city78 ac
Other state land15 ac
Local Park · 74 acConservation Easement · 15 acLocal Recreation Area · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Klock Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Hall Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Union Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Riverview Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Edwards Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Riverfront Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Broadway Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| City Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Cass Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Frank'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in Benton Harbor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Benton Harbor
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Benton Harbor
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Benton Harbor
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Trailside Path0.3 mi
Hideaway Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
7.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Basketball
5Baseball
2Football
2Tennis
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 Benton Harbor: May to 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Benton Harbor →
Next door
Benton Harbor and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benton Township13 miSt. Joseph Township5.9 miBenton Harbor2.9 miSt. Joseph2.2 miBenton Heights0.4 miFair Plain0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Harbor | 3% | 0.7 | 17 | 96% | B+ |
| Benton Township | 5% | 0.4 | 46 | 44% | B |
| Benton Heights | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Joseph | 7% | 0.7 | 19 | 99%+ | A |
| Fair Plain | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Joseph Township | 11% | 0.9 | 37 | 96% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benton Harbor
Where can I hike in Benton Harbor?
The longest trail networks: Jean Klock Park, 0.5 miles; Charles Yarbrough Riverview Drive Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Benton Harbor is conserved land?
3% 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 Benton Harbor’s trails?
Jean Klock Park and Hall Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Benton Harbor?
7.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Benton Harbor?
3,967 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benton Harbor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 149 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Benton Harbor have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #243 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 Benton Harbor 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 →