Ella Sharp Park
Managed by City of Jackson
534 acres10.6 mi of trail
North LoopSchool HouseTrail #1Driving Range+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Phillip L. Hofmeister · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Jackson
10% of Jackson’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
16 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson, 1.4 per square mile of land. 10% of Jackson’s land is conserved, about 708 acres. The biggest trail networks: Ella Sharp Park (10.6 mi), Sparks Foundation County Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #49 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
708 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
747 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
11 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jackson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #49 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (747 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home98% 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 93%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 93%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Ella Sharp Park, with 10.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sparks Foundation County Park
Park
72 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Howard Woods Sr Recreation Complex
Managed by City of Jackson
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 20 parks & preserves
Ella Sharp Park534 acres · 10.6 mi of trail · City of Jackson
DirectionsSparks Foundation County Park72 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLoomis Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHoward Woods Sr Recreation Complex10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Jackson
DirectionsBloomfield Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Former State Prison10 acres
Workers Memorial Park9 acres · City of Jackson
DirectionsLions Park9 acres · City of Jackson
DirectionsBest Field7 acres · City of Jackson
Exchange Club Playground5 acres
Rotary Playground2 acres
Optimist Park2 acres · City of Jackson
DirectionsBlackman Park1 acres
DirectionsBeech Tree Park1 acres
DirectionsAustin Blair Park1 acres · City of Jackson
DirectionsWithington Park1 acres
DirectionsElnora Moorman Plaza1 acres
Griffin Park1 acres · City of Jackson
DirectionsW. George Wade Park1 acres · Jackson City Parks & Rec Department
DirectionsLeake Park1 acres
Who protects it
708 conserved acres
10% of Jackson’s land. Who manages Jackson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city597 ac
County100 ac
Private owners7 ac
Local Park · 555 acLocal Recreation Area · 149 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Park Local Park | Town or city | 393 | Open |
| Sharp Park Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 94 | Restricted |
| Sparks Park Local Park | County | 63 | Open |
| Jackson Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 38 | Restricted |
| Inter-City Bike Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| William Nixon Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Loomis Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Jackson King Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Hunt Elementary School Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Jackson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Jackson
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 1.4 mi
North Loop1.7 mi
School House1.5 mi
Trail #10.9 mi
Driving Range0.7 mi
Museum Trail Loop0.6 mi
Hedge Row0.5 mi
Trail #20.4 mi
Trail #30.4 mi
East River0.3 mi
Shortcut0.2 mi
2 more trails
Museum Trail
0.1 miTrail #4
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Tennis
19Baseball
13Basketball
4Pickleball
3Soccer
1Football
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Stone Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1972
About itElla Sharp HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itMichigan State PrisonBuilding · listed 1979
About itJackson District LibraryBuilding · listed 1980
About itMichigan TheaterBuilding · listed 1980
About itAndrew Wilcox HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itCollins Manufacturing-Jackson Automobile Company ComplexBuilding · listed 1993
About itHugh H. Richard HouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itDenton Road-Sparks Foundation Park Pond BridgeStructure · listed 2000
About itMichigan Central Railroad Jackson DepotBuilding · listed 2002
About itHebrew CemeterySite · listed 2009
About itPeoples National Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 2014
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Jackson: July and 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) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson →
Next door
Jackson and its neighbors
Jackson has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 10% | 1.4 | 24 | 98% | A |
| Summit Township | 6% | 0.3 | 16 | 42% | B− |
| Leoni Township | 11% | 0.1 | 162 | 34% | B |
| Blackman Township | 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 17% | C− |
| Vandercook Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jackson
Where can I hike in Jackson?
The longest trail networks: Ella Sharp Park, 10.6 miles; Sparks Foundation County Park, 0.5 miles; Loomis Park, 0.4 miles; Howard Woods Sr Recreation Complex, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson is conserved land?
10% 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 Jackson’s trails?
Ella Sharp Park and Sparks Foundation County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jackson?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jackson?
10,486 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 747 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Jackson have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 Jackson 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 →