Cummingston Park
Park
31 acres1.4 mi of trail
Arkona Beach TrailScreech Owl TrailChinquapin TrailGentian Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Royal Oak
7% of Royal Oak’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Cummingston Park (1.4 mi), Quickstad Park (1.1 mi), Normandy Oaks Park (0.6 mi). 7% of Royal Oak’s land is conserved, about 545 acres. 6.8 miles of mapped trail cross Royal Oak, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #267 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
545 acres · of 11.8 sq mi of land
Trails
6.8 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
356 ac
6.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
5.2 mi lanes · 1.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Royal Oak?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Royal Oak have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Royal Oak is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #267 of 701 in Michigan. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Royal Oak’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land6.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (356 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13CParks close to home99% 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 72%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 62%
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
The longest trail network is Cummingston Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Quickstad Park
Nature preserve
35 acres1.1 mi of trail
SandbarScoutSassafrasSwamp+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 41 parks & preserves
Cummingston Park31 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsQuickstad Park35 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNormandy Oaks Park36 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLockman Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHudson Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Isabel & Myron Zucker Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Maxwell Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
VFW Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Royal Oak Parks and Recreation
DirectionsLawson Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Miller Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsStarr Jaycee Park29 acres
DirectionsWorden Park24 acres
DirectionsRed Run Park20 acres
DirectionsMemorial Park17 acres
DirectionsWagner Park13 acres
Kenwood Park9 acres
Whittier Park7 acres
Patricia Paruch Park6 acres
Dickinson Park5 acres
Elks Park5 acres
DirectionsGrant Park4 acres
DirectionsUpton Park4 acres
DirectionsDondero Park4 acres
Fred Pieper Optimist Park4 acres
DirectionsPioneer Park3 acres
Sullivan Park3 acres
Gunn-Dyer Park2 acres
Maddock Park2 acres
Centennial Commons2 acres · Royal Oak
DirectionsClawson Park2 acres
Marais Park2 acres
Marks Park2 acres
DirectionsWorden Park East2 acres
DirectionsMaudlin Park2 acres
Realtor Park2 acres
Fries Park1 acres
Bassett Park1 acres
Fernwood Park1 acres
Lions Club Park1 acres · Royal Oak Parks and Recreation Department
Frank Wendland Park1 acres
Cody Park1 acres
Who protects it
545 conserved acres
7% of Royal Oak’s land. Who manages Royal Oak’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city309 ac
Private owners234 ac
Local Park · 309 acPrivate Park · 234 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Run Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 154 | Restricted |
| Royal Oak Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 80 | Restricted |
| Normandy Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Quickstad Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Cummingston Park Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Starr Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Worden Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Exchange Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Wagner Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
90 places to go in Royal Oak
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Royal Oak
Ilene Lanfear Memorial PlaygroundIn Frank Wendland Park
Directions80 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Royal Oak
Mark Twain ParkHours: Mon–Sun 6 am – 10 pm
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Royal Oak
Main Picnic Grove
DirectionsMain picnic site
DirectionsOtter picnic site
DirectionsPlayVenture picnic site
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Royal Oak
Church of Christ Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.6 miUnpaved · 3.1 mi
Sandbar0.2 mi
Arkona Beach Trail0.2 mi
Screech Owl Trail0.2 mi
Chinquapin Trail0.2 mi
Scout0.2 mi
Sassafras0.2 mi
Gentian Trail0.1 mi
Swamp0.1 mi
Leafdale Trail0.1 mi
Goodwin0.1 mi
7 more trails
Owlet Spur Trail
0.1 miPond
0.1 miShagbark Hickory Trail
0.1 miFern
0.1 miTurkey Tail trail
0.1 miEagle Scout Trail
0.1 miMeadow Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
15 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Tennis
32Baseball
21Soccer
16Pickleball
15Basketball
6Lacrosse
4Football
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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 Royal Oak: 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) | 32 | 35 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Royal Oak →
Next door
Royal Oak and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Troy21 miMadison Heights9.1 miRoyal Oak6.8 miHuntington Woods2.3 miClawson1.2 miFerndale0.6 miHazel Park0.4 miBerkley0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Oak | 7% | 0.6 | 6 | 99% | B+ |
| Huntington Woods | 16% | 1.5 | 3 | 99%+ | A |
| Madison Heights | 7% | 1.3 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Clawson | 3% | 0.5 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Troy | 5% | 0.6 | 12 | 78% | B+ |
| Berkley | 2% | 0.1 | 2 | 94% | C+ |
| Ferndale | 4% | 0.2 | 5 | 99%+ | B |
| Hazel Park | 2% | 0.1 | 3 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Royal Oak
Where can I hike in Royal Oak?
The longest trail networks: Cummingston Park, 1.4 miles; Quickstad Park, 1.1 miles; Normandy Oaks Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Royal Oak is conserved land?
7% 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 Royal Oak’s trails?
Cummingston Park and Quickstad Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Royal Oak?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.2 of painted or protected lanes, 1.3 of off-road paths and 15 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Royal Oak?
12,658 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Royal Oak or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 356 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Royal Oak have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #267 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 Royal Oak 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 →