Wm. C. Sterling State Park
Park
495 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Monroe
Monroe has 12 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 870 acres are parks and preserves, 43 per 1,000 residents. 10% of Monroe’s land is conserved, about 602 acres.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #45 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
602 acres · of 9.0 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
870 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
3.5 mi lanes · 8.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Monroe?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #45 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe’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 (12 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (870 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home94% 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 94%
Water is 11% of Monroe’s area (1 of 10 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Wm. C. Sterling State Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ford Marsh
Nature preserve
215 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
River Raisin National Battlefield Park
Managed by National Park Service
42 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Hellenberg Park
Managed by City of Monroe
19 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
Wm. C. Sterling State Park495 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFord Marsh215 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Raisin National Battlefield Park42 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsVeterans Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHellenberg Park19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Monroe
DirectionsMunson Park108 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSoldiers and Sailors Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRauch Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsC.D. "AL" Cappuccili Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kentucky Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRoessler Park11 acres
DirectionsRiviere Aux Raisins Park7 acres
DirectionsFather Carnes Park5 acres
Hoffman Park5 acres
DirectionsSaint Mary's Park4 acres
DirectionsManor Park3 acres
DirectionsCranbrook Park3 acres · City of Monroe
DirectionsRiver Rasin National Battlefield Park Visitor’s Center1 acres
DirectionsLavendar Park1 acres
Worrell Park1 acres · City of Monroe
Who protects it
602 conserved acres
10% of Monroe’s land. Water is left out: Monroe has 9.0 square miles of land and 1.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Monroe’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service492 ac
Town or city272 ac
National Park Service42 ac
Private owners24 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government15 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 492 acLocal Park · 271 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 42 acPrivate Park · 24 acLocal Recreation Area · 15 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 492 | Restricted |
| Munson Park Local Park | Town or city | 196 | Open |
| River Raisin National Battlefield Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 42 | Restricted |
| Raisin River Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 22 | Restricted |
| Multi Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Mill Race Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Hellenberg Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Manor Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Oak Forest Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| St Mary'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in Monroe
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Monroe
22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Monroe
Hellenberg Park Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Monroe
Fishing PierIn Wm. C. Sterling State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Monroe
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Baseball
14Tennis
14Soccer
4Basketball
2Skate park
1Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Gov. Robert McClelland HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itRudolph Nims HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itSawyer HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itWeis Manufacturing CompanyBuilding · listed 1981
About itEast Elm-North Macomb Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itOld Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itSt. Mary's Church Complex Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itCuster, George Armstrong, Equestrian MonumentObject · listed 1994
About itWing-Allore HouseBuilding · listed 2014
About itRiver Raisin Battlefield SiteDistrict · listed 2019
About itSt. Mary's Academy Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Monroe: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Monroe →
Next door
Monroe and its neighbors
Monroe has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 10% | 1.4 | 43 | 94% | A |
| Frenchtown Township | 5% | 0.1 | 59 | 52% | B− |
| Monroe Township | 6% | 0.3 | 5 | 44% | C+ |
| West Monroe | — 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 Monroe
Where can I hike in Monroe?
The longest trail networks: Wm. C. Sterling State Park, 1.3 miles; Ford Marsh, 1.2 miles; River Raisin National Battlefield Park, 0.7 miles; Veterans Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monroe 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 Monroe’s trails?
Wm. Sterling State Park and Ford Marsh don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Monroe?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of painted or protected lanes and 8.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Monroe?
5,791 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 870 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #45 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 Monroe 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 →