Few parks or trails are on the map in Carleton
18 acres are parks and preserves, 7.0 per 1,000 residents. 37% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Carleton’s land is conserved, about 18 acres.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Carleton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carleton is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls 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.
18 conserved acres
3% of Carleton’s land. Who manages Carleton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ash-Carleton Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
1 places to go in Carleton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
0.0 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.
September is the best month for walking in Carleton
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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Carleton →
Questions about parks and trails in Carleton
How much of Carleton 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 Carleton’s trails?
Ash Carleton Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Carleton?
13,200 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carleton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 18 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carleton have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Carleton 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 →