E B Clark Woods
Managed by City of Buchanan
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: JDNorry · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Buchanan
12% of Buchanan’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
205 acres are parks and preserves, 49 per 1,000 residents. 12% of Buchanan’s land is conserved, about 186 acres. 1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Buchanan, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #51 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
186 acres · of 2.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
205 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Buchanan?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Buchanan have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Buchanan is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #51 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Buchanan’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (205 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks 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 92%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 93%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 E B Clark Woods, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bakertown Fen
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
63 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
McCoy Creek Recreation Area
Park
18 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Redbud Riverfront Park
Managed by City of Buchanan
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
E B Clark Woods22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Buchanan
McCoy Creek Recreation Area18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBuchanan Commons3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVeteran's Memorial Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBakertown Fen63 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Redbud Riverfront Park7 acres · City of Buchanan
Stafford Woods Park6 acres · City of Buchanan
Ravish Park6 acres · City of Buchanan
Smith Park4 acres
Kathryn Park1 acres · City of Buchanan
Who protects it
186 conserved acres
12% of Buchanan’s land. Who manages Buchanan’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city121 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits64 ac
Local Park · 100 acPrivate Conservation · 64 acLocal Recreation Area · 21 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakertown Fen Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 64 | Open |
| Andrew's Farm Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Spafford Woods Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Mccoy Creek Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Redbud Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Sampson Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Smith Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Ravish Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Mccoy Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Buchanan
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Buchanan
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Buchanan
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Buchanan
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Tennis
4Soccer
4Baseball
3Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Union BlockBuilding · listed 2007
About itZinc Collar Pad Company BuildingBuilding · listed 2009
About itBuchanan Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2009
About itBuchanan North and West Neighborhoods Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itClark Equipment Company Administrative ComplexDistrict · listed 2023
About itOak Ridge CemeteryDistrict · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Buchanan: April, 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Buchanan →
Questions about parks and trails in Buchanan
Where can I hike in Buchanan?
The longest trail networks: E B Clark Woods, 0.4 miles; McCoy Creek Recreation Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Buchanan is conserved land?
12% 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 Buchanan’s trails?
E B Clark Woods and Bakertown Fen don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Buchanan?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Buchanan?
3,661 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Buchanan or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 205 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Buchanan have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #51 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 Buchanan 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 →