Photo: Jamie Begin · CC BY-SA 4.0Chelsea has 6.9 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
13% of Chelsea’s land is conserved, about 300 acres. 307 acres are parks and preserves, 57 per 1,000 residents. 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #47 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Chelsea?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Chelsea have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chelsea is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #47 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
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
The longest trail network is Timber Town Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
300 conserved acres
13% of Chelsea’s land. Who manages Chelsea’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce Lake Golf Course and Park Local Park | County | 223 | Open |
| Chelsea Community Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Timbertown Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Pierce Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Veteran's Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Chelsea
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
2.5 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.
4 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.
September is the best month for walking in Chelsea
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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Chelsea →
Chelsea and its neighbors
Chelsea has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 13% | 1.9 | 57 | 79% | A |
| Lima Township | 8% | 0.1 | 180 | 21% | B |
| Sylvan Township | 15% | 0.8 | 843 | 52% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chelsea
Where can I hike in Chelsea?
The longest trail networks: Timber Town Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chelsea is conserved land?
13% 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 Chelsea’s trails?
Timber Town Park and Fairgrounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chelsea?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chelsea?
36,096 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chelsea or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 307 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Chelsea have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #47 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 Chelsea 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 →