Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY 4.07% of Madison Heights’ 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. 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross Madison Heights, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Civic Center Park (1.9 mi), Red Oaks Nature Center (1.5 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #128 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Madison Heights?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Madison Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Madison Heights is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #128 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 Civic Center Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Red Oaks Nature Center
Red Oaks Youth Soccer Complex
All 16 parks & preserves
315 conserved acres
7% of Madison Heights’ land. Who manages Madison Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oaks Local Park | County | 121 | Open |
| Civic Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 78 | Open |
| George Suarez Friendship Woods Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Rosie'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Silverleaf Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Ambassador Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Edison Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Huffman Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Co-op Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Twelve-Sherry Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
38 places to go in Madison Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
34 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
4.2 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.
The best walking months in Madison Heights: 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 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Madison Heights →
Madison Heights 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Heights | 7% | 1.3 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Royal Oak | 7% | 0.6 | 6 | 99% | B+ |
| Troy | 5% | 0.6 | 12 | 78% | B+ |
| Warren | 2% | 0.4 | 3 | 79% | C+ |
| Hazel Park | 2% | 0.1 | 3 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Madison Heights
Where can I hike in Madison Heights?
The longest trail networks: Civic Center Park, 1.9 miles; Red Oaks Nature Center, 1.5 miles; Ambassador Park, 0.4 miles; Red Oaks Youth Soccer Complex, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Madison Heights is conserved land?
7% 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 Madison Heights’ trails?
Civic Center Park and Red Oaks Nature Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Madison Heights?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths and 2.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Madison Heights?
10,623 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Madison Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 339 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Madison Heights have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #128 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 Madison Heights 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 →