Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.07% of St. Johns’ land is conserved: 176 acres
The biggest trail networks: City of St Johns Park (1.5 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 159 acres are parks and preserves, 21 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #230 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is St. Johns?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does St. Johns have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Johns is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #230 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles 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 City of St Johns Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Senior Citizen Park
St Johns Rotary Park
Jaycee Park
All 6 parks & preserves
176 conserved acres
7% of St. Johns’ land. Who manages St. Johns’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4H Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 67 | Restricted |
| Fells Park Property Addition Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| St. Johns City Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Baseball Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Senior Citizen Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| St. Johns Depot And Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Jaycees Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Oak Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Water Tower Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
8 places to go in St. Johns
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2.4 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.
1 place 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.
The best walking months in St. Johns: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in St. Johns →
Questions about parks and trails in St. Johns
Where can I hike in St. Johns?
The longest trail networks: City of St Johns Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Johns 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 St. Johns’ trails?
City of St Johns Park and Senior Citizen Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Johns?
2.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near St. Johns?
9,487 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Johns or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 159 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does St. Johns have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #230 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 St. Johns 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 →