Hillsdale Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by City of Hillsdale
135 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hillsdale County Courthouse · Photo: Calvin Beale · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hillsdale
Hillsdale has 303 acres of parks, 38 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Hillsdale, 0.5 per square mile of land. 4% of Hillsdale’s land is conserved, about 128 acres.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #222 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
128 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
303 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.9 mi
5.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hillsdale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hillsdale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hillsdale is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #222 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hillsdale’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (303 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home92% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 68%
Water is 7% of Hillsdale’s area (0 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Field of Dreams Park
Managed by City of Hillsdale
58 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Owens Park
Managed by City of Hillsdale
37 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Slayton Arboretum10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHillsdale Wildlife Sanctuary135 acres · City of Hillsdale
DirectionsField of Dreams Park58 acres · City of Hillsdale
DirectionsOwens Park37 acres · City of Hillsdale
DirectionsMrs. Stock's Park8 acres · City of Hillsdale
DirectionsSandy Beach7 acres · City of Hillsdale
Keekoose Park7 acres
DirectionsCold Springs Park3 acres
Who protects it
128 conserved acres
4% of Hillsdale’s land. Water is left out: Hillsdale has 5.7 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hillsdale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city57 ac
County44 ac
Joint14 ac
Private owners13 ac
Local Park · 71 acLocal Recreation Area · 44 acPrivate Park · 13 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 44 | Restricted |
| Owens Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Slayton Arboretum Local Park | Joint | 14 | Open |
| Simpson Field Private Park | Private owners | 13 | Open |
| Stocks Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Inman Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Sandy Beach Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| City Athletic Field Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Cold Sping Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Kekoose Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Hillsdale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hillsdale
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Hillsdale
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Hillsdale
Baw Beese Lake Public Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Hillsdale
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Hillsdale
Baw Beese Disc Golf CourseHours: Open 24 hours · In Owens Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Hillsdale Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.8 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Tennis
8Baseball
6Basketball
2Football
2Soccer
2Pickleball
2Tracks
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Hillsdale: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Hillsdale →
Next door
Hillsdale and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hillsdale Township12 miJefferson Township8.0 miFayette Township4.4 miHillsdale3.0 miCambria Township0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale | 4% | 0.5 | 38 | 92% | A− |
| Fayette Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 7 | 8% | D |
| Hillsdale Township | 1% | 1.0 | 44 | 27% | B− |
| Cambria Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 5 | 23% | D |
| Jefferson Township | 10% | 0.2 | 737 | 32% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hillsdale
Where can I hike in Hillsdale?
The longest trail networks: Slayton Arboretum, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hillsdale is conserved land?
4% 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 Hillsdale’s trails?
Hillsdale Wildlife Sanctuary and Field of Dreams Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hillsdale?
5.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hillsdale?
3,165 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hillsdale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 303 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hillsdale have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #222 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 Hillsdale 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 →