Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.012% of Inkster’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. 6.3 miles of mapped trail cross Inkster, 1.0 per square mile of land. 12% of Inkster’s land is conserved, about 461 acres.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #56 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Inkster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Inkster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Inkster is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #56 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident 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 Lower Rouge Parkway, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 16 parks & preserves
461 conserved acres
12% of Inkster’s land. Who manages Inkster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. Herndon's Dearborn Hills Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 228 | Restricted |
| Inkster Valley Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 161 | Restricted |
| Inkster Park Local Park | Town or city | 87 | Open |
| Colonial Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Brookside Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Westwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Dozier Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Wheatley Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Parkwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Kennedy Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
16 places to go in Inkster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
1.4 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Inkster: 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 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Inkster →
Inkster and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inkster | 12% | 1.0 | 21 | 99%+ | A |
| Dearborn Heights | 12% | 0.6 | 13 | 95% | A− |
| Westland | 11% | 1.4 | 16 | 89% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Inkster
Where can I hike in Inkster?
The longest trail networks: Lower Rouge Parkway, 4.3 miles; Inkster Park, 0.9 miles; Westwood Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Inkster is conserved land?
12% 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 Inkster’s trails?
Lower Rouge Parkway and Inkster Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Inkster?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Inkster?
15,975 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Inkster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 533 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Inkster have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #56 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 Inkster 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 →