For-mar Nature Preserve
Park
365 acres10.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Burton
8% of Burton’s land is conserved: 1,233 acres
The biggest trail networks: For-mar Nature Preserve (10.4 mi). 692 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Burton, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #301 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,233 acres · of 23.4 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
692 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Burton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burton is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #301 of 701 in Michigan. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Burton’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (692 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home53% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 57%
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 For-mar Nature Preserve, with 10.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Davison Roadside Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Settlement Park
Managed by City of Burton
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
For-mar Nature Preserve365 acres · 10.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKelley Lake Park39 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDavison Roadside Park7 acres
Settlement Park5 acres · City of Burton
Veteran's Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,233 conserved acres
8% of Burton’s land. Who manages Burton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners555 ac
County370 ac
Other state land251 ac
Town or city60 ac
Local Conservation Area · 370 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 288 acPrivate Park · 266 acState Conservation Area · 222 acLocal Park · 60 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum Local Conservation Area | County | 370 | Open |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 288 | Open |
| Forest Reserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 222 | Open |
| I.M.A. Brookwood Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 173 | Restricted |
| Southmoor Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 93 | Restricted |
| Kelly Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Atherton Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Burton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Burton
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Burton
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
17Baseball
4Tennis
2Football
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Burton: July to 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Burton →
Next door
Burton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Grand Blanc Township16 miFlint14 miDavison Township12 miBurton12 miGenesee Township7.3 miFlint Township3.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton | 8% | 0.5 | 23 | 53% | B+ |
| Flint | 9% | 0.4 | 25 | 96% | A− |
| Davison Township | 8% | 0.4 | 38 | 53% | B+ |
| Genesee Township | 19% | 0.3 | 168 | 42% | B+ |
| Grand Blanc Township | 10% | 0.5 | 32 | 48% | B+ |
| Flint Township | 4% | 0.2 | 7 | 35% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burton
Where can I hike in Burton?
The longest trail networks: For-mar Nature Preserve, 10.4 miles; Kelley Lake Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burton is conserved land?
8% 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 Burton’s trails?
For-mar Nature Preserve and Kelley Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Burton?
21,372 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 692 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Burton have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #301 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 Burton 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 →