Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0Pontiac has 28 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: North Spur Trail (3.1 mi), Pontiac Oaks (1.6 mi), Clinton River Trail (0.7 mi). 6% of Pontiac’s land is conserved, about 800 acres.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #169 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Pontiac?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Pontiac have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pontiac is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #169 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank 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 North Spur Trail, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crystal Lake Park
All 27 parks & preserves
800 conserved acres
6% of Pontiac’s land. Who manages Pontiac’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 84 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 166 | Restricted |
| Hawthorne Park Local Park | Town or city | 137 | Open |
| Galloway Park Local Park | Town or city | 78 | Open |
| City of Lake Angelus Park D Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Murphy Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Dawsons Millpond Beaudette Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Perry Mountain Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Aaron Perry Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
71 places to go in Pontiac
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
62 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 fishing spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 10 lakes & rivers
30 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.
16 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
4 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Pontiac: August 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 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Pontiac →
Pontiac and its neighbors
Pontiac has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac | 6% | 1.4 | 13 | 92% | A− |
| Auburn Hills | 7% | 1.5 | 10 | 71% | B+ |
| Bloomfield Township | 6% | 0.9 | 1 | 40% | C+ |
| Waterford Township | 8% | 1.4 | 21 | 85% | A |
| Lake Angelus | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sylvan Lake | 4% | 1.0 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pontiac
Where can I hike in Pontiac?
The longest trail networks: North Spur Trail, 3.1 miles; Pontiac Oaks, 1.6 miles; Clinton River Trail, 0.7 miles; Murphy Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pontiac 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 Pontiac’s trails?
North Spur Trail and Pontiac Oaks don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pontiac?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.3 of painted or protected lanes and 26 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pontiac?
24,063 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pontiac or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 795 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pontiac have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #169 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 Pontiac 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 →