John D. Dingell Park
Managed by City of Ecorse
4 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
New Center Commercial Historic District · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Ecorse
5% of Ecorse’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: John D. Dingell Park (0.5 mi). 25 acres are parks and preserves, 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #350 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
97 acres · of 2.8 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
25 ac
2.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.9 mi
1.9 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ecorse?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ecorse have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ecorse is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #350 of 701 in Michigan. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ecorse’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land2.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (25 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 63%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 50%
Water is 22% of Ecorse’s area (1 of 4 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 John D. Dingell Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eli Ciungan Park
Managed by City of Ecorse
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bernard Popp Municipal Field
Managed by City of Ecorse
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
John D. Dingell Park4 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Ecorse
DirectionsEli Ciungan Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Ecorse
DirectionsZukonik Pumping Station Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Ecorse
DirectionsDetroit River International Wildlife Refuge22 acres
DirectionsBernard Popp Municipal Field3 acres · City of Ecorse
DirectionsEcorse Housing Park2 acres · City of Ecorse
Beach and Cicotte Park1 acres · City of Ecorse
DirectionsEcorse Boat Ramp1 acres · City of Ecorse
Directions15th and Outer Drive Park1 acres · City of Ecorse
DirectionsBell Park1 acres · City of Ecorse
DirectionsWho protects it
97 conserved acres
5% of Ecorse’s land. Water is left out: Ecorse has 2.8 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ecorse’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service168 ac
Town or city12 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 168 acLocal Park · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 168 | Restricted |
| Pepper Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Dingell Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Beach & Ciotte Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| 15Th & Puter Dr Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Bell Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Ecorse
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ecorse
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ecorse
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Iron Belle TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
8Tennis
4Basketball
3Baseball
1Soccer
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ecorse: June 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 45 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Ecorse →
Next door
Ecorse and its neighbors
Ecorse has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecorse | 5% | 0.4 | 3 | 99%+ | B |
| Lincoln Park | 3% | 0.2 | 4 | 99% | B− |
| River Rouge | 2% | 0.2 | 5 | 99%+ | B− |
| Wyandotte | 17% | under 0.1 | 6 | 99%+ | B |
| Detroit | 6% | 0.8 | 9 | 95% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ecorse
Where can I hike in Ecorse?
The longest trail networks: John D. Dingell Park, 0.5 miles; Eli Ciungan Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ecorse is conserved land?
5% 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 Ecorse’s trails?
John D. Dingell Park and Eli Ciungan Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ecorse?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: Iron Belle Trail.
Is there public land near Ecorse?
8,807 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ecorse or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 25 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ecorse have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #350 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 Ecorse 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 →