Ford Park
Park
19 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Highland Park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Highland Park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 39 acres are parks and preserves, 4.5 per 1,000 residents. 2% of Highland Park’s land is conserved, about 34 acres.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #412 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
34 acres · of 3.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
39 ac
4.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
2.1 mi lanes · 0.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Highland Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Highland Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Highland Park is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #412 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 Highland Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land4.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (39 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13CParks 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 54%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 41%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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 Ford Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Reggie McKenzie Field
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Storen Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Ford Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Reggie McKenzie Field7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Perchman Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMulford Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Storen Park2 acres
Martin Luther King, Jr. Park2 acres
Casey / Barone Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
34 conserved acres
2% of Highland Park’s land. Who manages Highland Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city34 ac
Local Park · 34 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Ernest T. Ford Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Stoven Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Perchman Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Richton Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Glendale Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Highland Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Highland Park
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
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.
First United Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itGrace Evangelical Lutheran ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itHighland Park Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itTrinity United Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itHighland Park General HospitalBuilding · listed 1985
About itHighland Heights-Stevens` Subdivision Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itMedbury`s-Grove Lawn Subdivisions Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itPalmer Park Boulevard Apartments DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Highland Park: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Highland Park →
Questions about parks and trails in Highland Park
Where can I hike in Highland Park?
The longest trail networks: Ford Park, 0.3 miles; Reggie McKenzie Field, 0.3 miles; Perchman Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Highland Park is conserved land?
2% 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 Highland Park’s trails?
Ford Park and Reggie McKenzie Field don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Highland Park?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Highland Park?
11,042 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Highland Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 39 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Highland Park have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #412 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 Highland Park 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 →