Fenner Nature Center
Nature preserve
132 acres3.7 mi of trail
Turner TrailOak Ridge TrailTamarack TrailSugar Maple Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Andrew Martin · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lansing
8% of Lansing’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
38 miles of mapped trail cross Lansing, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Fenner Nature Center (3.7 mi), Fine Park (3.2 mi), Hawk Island County Park (1.9 mi). 2,172 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #104 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,999 acres · of 39.4 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,172 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
63 mi
30 mi lanes · 31 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lansing?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lansing have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lansing is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #104 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.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lansing’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,172 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks 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 88%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 85%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lansing ranks #110 on Outdoors.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Fenner Nature Center, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hawk Island County Park
Managed by Ingham County
122 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Hunters Ridge Park
Managed by City of Lansing
36 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Theo Fulton Park
Managed by City of Lansing
27 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Scott Woods Park
Managed by City of Lansing
99 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bancroft Park
Managed by City of Lansing
35 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Benjamin Davis Park
Managed by City of Lansing
49 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 106 parks & preserves
Fenner Nature Center132 acres · 3.7 mi of trail
DirectionsFine Park40 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHawk Island County Park122 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Ingham County
DirectionsHunters Ridge Park36 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsTheo Fulton Park27 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsScott Woods Park99 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsBancroft Park35 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsBenjamin Davis Park49 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsHolly Park23 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Lansing
Capitol Walkway Park2 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTecumseh Park48 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGier Park25 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsShubel Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHope Soccer Complex136 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsParcel B74 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsFrances Park44 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsRanney Park22 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsRisdale Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPorter Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lansing
Keegan Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Bassett Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Crego Park199 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsRudolph & Dorothy Wilson Park30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsAdado Riverfront Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsBurchard Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsRiverside Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Georgetown Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsKingsley Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsStabenow Park48 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsAttwood Park27 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsMoores Park21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsHunter Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsKendon Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsQuentin Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
Marshall Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsPleasant Grove Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
Ferris Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsMichigan Veterans' Memorial Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMarscot Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
Clifford Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWalsh Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
Scott Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsBeacon Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsOrmond Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOsborn Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsKaynorth Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lansing
DirectionsThe Darryl J. Parsell Memorial Garden1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBear Lake Natural Area130 acres
DirectionsWilloughby Park50 acres · City of Lansing
Grand River Park34 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsKircher Park28 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsBiggie Munn Park26 acres
DirectionsCavanaugh Park26 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsSaint Joseph Park18 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsPotter Park18 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsMcKinch Park16 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsKimberly Park15 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsPoxson Park14 acres · City of Lansing
Ingham Park13 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsOak Park11 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsBeck Park11 acres · City of Lansing
Sycamore Park10 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsElmhurst Park10 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsGerald W. Graves Park9 acres · City of Lansing
Comstock Park9 acres
DirectionsForest View Park9 acres
DirectionsAverill Park9 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsElm Street Park8 acres
DirectionsWainwright Park7 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsHillborn Park7 acres
Lyons Park7 acres
DirectionsReasoner Park6 acres
DirectionsCherry Hill Park6 acres
DirectionsHorsebrook Park5 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsRiver Point Park5 acres
DirectionsWilson Park5 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsTurner-Dodge Park5 acres
DirectionsRegent Park4 acres · City of Lansing
Maguire Park4 acres
DirectionsWoodcreek Park4 acres
Everett Park4 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsBluebell Park4 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsLewton Park3 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsReutter Park3 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsDurant Park3 acres
DirectionsDietrich Park3 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsRotary Park3 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsRed Cedar Natural Area2 acres
DirectionsFoster Park2 acres
DirectionsGlen Eden Park2 acres
Harold A. Moore Park2 acres
DirectionsTammany Park2 acres
Elizabeth Park1 acres · Lansing Charter Township
DirectionsCaesar Donora Park1 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsSeventh Park1 acres
DirectionsKrueger's Landing1 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsStabler Park1 acres · City of Lansing
Greencroft Park1 acres · City of Lansing
Hull Court Park1 acres
DirectionsHillsdale Park1 acres · City of Lansing
Trager Park1 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsKalamazoo Plaza1 acres
DirectionsReola Park1 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsWentworth Park1 acres
DirectionsJones Lake Park1 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsLarch Park1 acres · City of Lansing
DirectionsWho protects it
1,999 conserved acres
8% of Lansing’s land. Who manages Lansing’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,676 ac
Private owners218 ac
County94 ac
Other state land10 ac
Regional agency3 ac
Not recorded4 ac
Local Park · 1,356 acPrivate Park · 368 acLocal Recreation Area · 235 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 33 acConservation Easement · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crego Park Local Park | Town or city | 204 | Open |
| Lansing Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 150 | Restricted |
| Fenner Nature Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 130 | Open |
| Scott Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Grosebeck Golf Course Private Park | Town or city | 99 | Restricted |
| Hawk Island Park Local Park | County | 94 | Open |
| Hope Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Forest Akers Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 64 | Restricted |
| Municipal Park Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Sycamore Golf Course Private Park | Town or city | 51 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
251 places to go in Lansing
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lansing
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Lansing
Hawk Island BeachFee · In Hawk Island County Park
DirectionsPublic pools in Lansing
3 public pools without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Lansing
Play Michigan!In Adado Riverfront Park
Directions200 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Lansing
Plus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Lansing
Sweeney's LandingIn Cherry Hill Park
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Lansing
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Lansing
Picnic Area 1In Frances Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 2In Frances Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 3In Frances Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 5In Frances Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 6In Frances Park
DirectionsPlus 6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Lansing
1 campground without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Lansing
Community Raspberry Patch
DirectionsDemonstration Gardens
DirectionsFoster Garden
DirectionsNorth School Community Garden
DirectionsParadise Community Garden
DirectionsPoppin Fresh Community Garden
DirectionsTillUtopia
DirectionsPlus 7 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.3 miUnpaved · 19.2 mi
Ryan's Loop0.8 mi
Turner Trail0.5 mi
Oak Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Tamarack Trail0.4 mi
Lansing River Trail0.3 mi
Sugar Maple Trail0.3 mi
Sycamore Trail / Lansing River Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
63 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
30 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
31 mi
off-road bike paths
2.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
West Lansing TrailBike route
7.2 miLansing River TrailBike route
1.8 miCourts & fields
87Basketball
56Tennis
35Baseball
29Soccer
14Beach volleyball
5Football
3Tracks
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →35 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 18 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Dodge MansionBuilding · listed 1972
About itGrand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing DepotBuilding · listed 1980
About itSmith-Turner HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itCentral Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itFederal BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itFirst Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itLansing Woman's Club BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itMasonic Temple BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itMichigan Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itMutual BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itStrand Theatre and ArcadeBuilding · listed 1980
About it23 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lansing: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Lansing →
Next door
Lansing and its neighbors
Lansing has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lansing38 miEast Lansing31 miDelta Township25 miOkemos20 miDelhi Township18 miDeWitt Township14 miLansing Township2.9 miEdgemont Park0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing | 8% | 1.0 | 19 | 98% | A |
| Lansing Township | 6% | 0.6 | 14 | 98% | A− |
| East Lansing | 10% | 2.3 | 12 | 98% | A |
| Delta Township | 6% | 0.8 | 38 | 56% | B+ |
| DeWitt Township | 6% | 0.5 | 21 | 57% | B+ |
| Delhi Township | 6% | 0.6 | 27 | 66% | B+ |
| Okemos | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Edgemont Park | — 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 Lansing
Where can I hike in Lansing?
The longest trail networks: Fenner Nature Center, 3.7 miles; Fine Park, 3.2 miles; Hawk Island County Park, 1.9 miles; Hunters Ridge Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lansing is conserved land?
8% 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 Lansing’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Bancroft Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lansing?
63 miles of bike routes are on the map: 30 of painted or protected lanes, 31 of off-road paths and 2.3 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: West Lansing Trail and Lansing River Trail.
Is there public land near Lansing?
16,715 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lansing or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,172 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lansing have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #104 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 Lansing 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 →