Riverfront Park South
Managed by City of Niles
66 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Niles Railroad Depot · Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Niles
6% of Niles’ land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
0.2 miles of mapped trail cross Niles. 6% of Niles’ land is conserved, about 221 acres. 201 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #362 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
221 acres · of 5.8 sq mi of land
Trails
0.2 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
201 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.3 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 2.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Niles?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Niles have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Niles is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #362 of 701 in Michigan. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Niles’ overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (201 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 61%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 48%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 19 parks & preserves
Riverfront Park South66 acres · City of Niles
DirectionsPlym Park16 acres
DirectionsRiverfront Park and Launch12 acres
DirectionsRiverfront Park11 acres
DirectionsThomas Stadium Park9 acres · City of Niles
DirectionsVella Park7 acres · City of Niles
DirectionsEastside Park6 acres
Southside Park4 acres
FOP Park3 acres
French Field3 acres
Lower Launch3 acres
DirectionsCable Street Park3 acres · City of Niles
Island Park2 acres
DirectionsHunter Saathoff Park1 acres
Clevenger Park1 acres
Birkholm Park1 acres
Tot Park1 acres · City of Niles
Cass Street Park1 acres · City of Niles
Allouez Park1 acres · City of Niles
DirectionsWho protects it
221 conserved acres
6% of Niles’ land. Who manages Niles’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city207 ac
Private owners12 ac
Local Park · 112 acLocal Recreation Area · 95 acPrivate Park · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Plym Park Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 49 | Restricted |
| Unknown Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Plym Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Signal Point Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 12 | Restricted |
| Bond Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Thomas Stadium Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Southside Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Industrial Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Eastside Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Niles
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Niles
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Niles
Ruff N Tumble Dog ParkIn Riverfront Park South
DirectionsBoat launches in Niles
Riverfront Park South Boating Access SiteIn Riverfront Park South
DirectionsSt. Joseph River Park Boat LaunchIn Riverfront Park and Launch
DirectionsBiking & sports
4.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
17Tennis
11Baseball
5Basketball
4Soccer
2Football
1Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ring Lardner HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itPaine BankBuilding · listed 1973
About itNiles Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1979
About itHenry A. Chapin HouseBuilding · listed 1981
About itOld US Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1985
About itNiles Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itFerry Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Niles: April, May, 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Niles →
Next door
Niles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niles | 6% | under 0.1 | 17 | 98% | B |
| Niles Township | 2% | 0.2 | 18 | 60% | B− |
| Howard Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 32% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Niles
How much of Niles is conserved land?
6% 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 Niles’ trails?
Riverfront Park South and Plym Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Niles?
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 2.3 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Niles?
4,783 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Niles or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 201 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Niles have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #362 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 Niles 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 →