Clinton River Oaks Park
Managed by Oakland County Parks and Recreation
195 acres3.3 mi of trail
NottawaseppiRochester LoopLetica Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Rochester
17% of Rochester’s 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. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Rochester, 3.1 per square mile of land. 17% of Rochester’s land is conserved, about 416 acres.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #5 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
416 acres · of 3.8 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
3.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
434 ac
34 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
14 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Rochester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rochester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rochester is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #5 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rochester’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land34 acres of park per 1,000 residents (434 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)#5 of 701
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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
The longest trail network is Clinton River Oaks Park, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rochester Municipal Park
Park
36 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
15 acres1 mi of trail
Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve Trails
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Clinton River Oaks Park195 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Oakland County Parks and Recreation
DirectionsRochester Municipal Park36 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDinosaur Hill Nature Preserve15 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsClinton River Trail30 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHalbach Field6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPaint Creek Trail10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHowlett Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Rochester
DirectionsBloomer Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Rochester Hills
DirectionsElizabeth Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsScott Street Park4 acres
DirectionsRochester Community Garden3 acres
DirectionsWatertown Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
416 conserved acres
17% of Rochester’s land. Who manages Rochester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city404 ac
Private owners12 ac
Other state land8 ac
Local Park · 366 acLocal Conservation Area · 14 acLocal Recreation Area · 14 acPrivate Park · 12 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomer Park Local Park | Town or city | 298 | Open |
| Rochester Municipal Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Paint Creek Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Howett Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Creekside Park Private Park | Private owners | 11 | Open |
| Rochester Hills Museum At Van Hoosen Farm Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Scott Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Great Oaks Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
16 places to go in Rochester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rochester
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Rochester
SwingsIn Rochester Municipal Park
DirectionsSwingsIn Rochester Municipal Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Rochester
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Rochester
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.6 miUnpaved · 1.2 mi
Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve Trails0.9 mi
Nottawaseppi0.8 mi
Rochester Loop0.6 mi
Letica Loop0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
14 mi
off-road bike paths
Other TrailsBike route
2 miMain LoopBike route
0.6 miCourts & fields
10Tennis
3Baseball
3Basketball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rochester: June, 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) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Rochester →
Next door
Rochester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 17% | 3.1 | 34 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Rochester Hills | 9% | 1.8 | 13 | 73% | A− |
| Shelby Township | 9% | 1.1 | 22 | 54% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rochester
Where can I hike in Rochester?
The longest trail networks: Clinton River Oaks Park, 3.3 miles; Rochester Municipal Park, 2.2 miles; Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve, 1 miles; Clinton River Trail, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rochester is conserved land?
17% 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 Rochester’s trails?
Clinton River Oaks Park and Rochester Municipal Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rochester?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 14 of off-road paths. Named routes: Other Trails and Main Loop.
Is there public land near Rochester?
17,210 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rochester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 434 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Rochester have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 Rochester 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 →