Brooks Nature Area
Managed by City of Marshall
241 acres3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Marshall Michigan Historic Landmark District · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Marshall
Marshall has 12 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
610 acres are parks and preserves, 90 per 1,000 residents. 13% of Marshall’s land is conserved, about 751 acres. The biggest trail networks: Brooks Nature Area (3 mi), Ketchum Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #43 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
751 acres · of 8.8 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
610 ac
90 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
0.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Marshall?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 87% of U.S. towns.Room to roam90 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical Michigan town, 5%.History along the way15 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marshall have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marshall is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #43 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Marshall’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land90 acres of park per 1,000 residents (610 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 94%
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 Brooks Nature Area, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ketchum Park
Managed by City of Marshall
22 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Stuart's Landing
Managed by City of Marshall
4 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brooks Memorial Fountain Park
Park
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Brooks Nature Area241 acres · 3 mi of trail · City of Marshall
DirectionsKetchum Park22 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Marshall
DirectionsStuart's Landing4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Marshall
DirectionsSherman Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Marshall
Brooks Memorial Fountain Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGarvin Property1 acres · City of Marshall
Alcott Park1 acres · City of Marshall
Cook Park1 acres
Who protects it
751 conserved acres
13% of Marshall’s land. Who manages Marshall’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city595 ac
Private owners108 ac
County47 ac
Local Conservation Area · 554 acPrivate Park · 108 acLocal Recreation Area · 62 acLocal Park · 27 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 554 | Open |
| Alwyn Downs Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 108 | Restricted |
| Calhoun Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 47 | Restricted |
| Ketchum Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Marshall Athletic Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Homer Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Brooks Memorial Fountain Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Cook Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
23 places to go in Marshall
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Marshall
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Marshall
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Marshall
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Marshall
13 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.1 mi
The Dump MTB Trail5.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Tennis
7Baseball
1Basketball
1Football
1Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
★
Marshall Michigan Historic Landmark DistrictNational Historic Landmark · District · listed 1991
About itHarold C. Brooks HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itHonolulu HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itWagner's BlockBuilding · listed 1971
About itCapitol Hill SchoolBuilding · listed 1972
About itWright-Brooks HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itJoy HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itStonehallBuilding · listed 1972
About itOakhillBuilding · listed 1974
About itGovernor's MansionBuilding · listed 1975
About itNational HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itEmporiumBuilding · listed 1979
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Marshall: 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) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Marshall →
Next door
Marshall and its neighbors
Marshall has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Marshall12 miMarshall Township2.8 miMarengo Township0.8 miEckford Township0.6 miFredonia Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 13% | 1.3 | 90 | 84% | A |
| Marshall Township | 1% | 0.1 | 28 | 17% | C |
| Fredonia Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 107 | 4% | C− |
| Marengo Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 6% | D |
| Eckford Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 48 | 20% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marshall
Where can I hike in Marshall?
The longest trail networks: Brooks Nature Area, 3 miles; Ketchum Park, 0.5 miles; Stuart's Landing, 0.2 miles; Brooks Memorial Fountain Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marshall is conserved land?
13% 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 Marshall’s trails?
Brooks Nature Area and Ketchum Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marshall?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Marshall?
3,681 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marshall or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 610 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Marshall have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #43 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 Marshall 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 →