Clinton River Park
Park
189 acres2.3 mi of trail
Clinton River Park Trails - Single Track
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ajay Suresh · CC BY 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Sterling Heights
7% of Sterling Heights’ land is conserved: 1,739 acres
The biggest trail networks: Clinton River Park (2.3 mi), Joseph E. Delia Junior Park (0.8 mi), Dodge Park (0.8 mi). 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1,143 acres are parks and preserves, 8.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #354 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,739 acres · of 36.4 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,143 ac
8.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
1.9 mi lanes · 23 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sterling Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sterling Heights is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #354 of 701 in Michigan. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sterling Heights’ overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land8.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,143 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home79% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 62%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 50%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Sterling Heights ranks #318 on Outdoors.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Joseph E. Delia Junior Park
Park
130 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sterling Heights Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
109 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Washington Square Park
Park
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 38 parks & preserves
Clinton River Park189 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJoseph E. Delia Junior Park130 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsDodge Park39 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsSterling Heights Nature Preserve109 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Square Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Freedom Hill County Park96 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Macomb County
DirectionsFarmstead Park34 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsBaumgartner Park22 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Sterling Heights
Clinton River Park North85 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Sterling Heights
Directions(North) James C. Nelson Park33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsLakeside Island Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsCarpathia Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Clinton River Park South38 acres
DirectionsWanda Park34 acres
Directions(South) James C. Nelson Park30 acres · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsBeaver Creek Park17 acres · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsMagnolia Park16 acres
DirectionsHampiton Park13 acres
DirectionsArlingdale Park11 acres
Thomas L. Chappelle Park11 acres
Leroy H. Imus Park11 acres
Moravian Park10 acres · City of Sterling Heights
Meadowview Park10 acres
Mark Sawyers Family Park10 acres
Avis Park9 acres · City of Sterling Heights
Kenneth L. Wolf Park9 acres
Riverland Amusement Park8 acres
Franklin Park8 acres
Jaycee Park6 acres
DirectionsCollege Park5 acres
Puffin Park5 acres · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsFairview Park4 acres
Rotary Park4 acres · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsFairfield Park4 acres
Benjamin Hadley Park3 acres · City of Sterling Heights
DirectionsNotre Dame Park2 acres
Neighborhood Park2 acres
Charlemagne Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,739 conserved acres
7% of Sterling Heights’ land. Who manages Sterling Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city885 ac
Private owners635 ac
Other state land137 ac
County81 ac
Local Park · 851 acPrivate Park · 635 acConservation Easement · 137 acState Conservation Area · 96 acLocal Conservation Area · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 137 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Lane Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 270 | Restricted |
| Clinton River Park Local Park | Town or city | 269 | Open |
| Sunnybrook Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 138 | Restricted |
| Rammler Golf & Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 136 | Restricted |
| Joseph J. Delia Jr. Park Local Park | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| Plumbrook Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Town or city | 96 | Open |
| Plumbrook Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 91 | Restricted |
| Freedom Hill Co Park Local Park | County | 81 | Open |
| James C Nelson Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Dodge Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
196 places to go in Sterling Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sterling Heights
Splash PadIn Dodge Park
DirectionsSwingsIn Charlemagne Park
Directions191 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Sterling Heights
4 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Sterling Heights
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.1 miUnpaved · 5.3 mi
Clinton River Park Trails - Single Track2.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
23 mi
off-road bike paths
Clinton River Park Trails - Single TrackBike route
2.4 miCourts & fields
47Tennis
41Baseball
37Basketball
29Soccer
7Beach volleyball
6Football
4Tracks
4Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
William Upton HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Sterling Heights: June 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 | 79 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Sterling Heights →
Next door
Sterling Heights 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Heights | 7% | 0.4 | 9 | 79% | B |
| Utica | 3% | 0.7 | 11 | 64% | B |
| Shelby Township | 9% | 1.1 | 22 | 54% | A− |
| Troy | 5% | 0.6 | 12 | 78% | B+ |
| Clinton Township | 5% | 0.3 | 4 | 44% | C+ |
| Warren | 2% | 0.4 | 3 | 79% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sterling Heights
Where can I hike in Sterling Heights?
The longest trail networks: Clinton River Park, 2.3 miles; Joseph E. Delia Junior Park, 0.8 miles; Dodge Park, 0.8 miles; Sterling Heights Nature Preserve, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sterling Heights 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 Sterling Heights’ trails?
Clinton River Park and Joseph E. Delia Junior Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sterling Heights?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes and 23 of off-road paths. Named routes: Clinton River Park Trails - Single Track.
Is there public land near Sterling Heights?
17,764 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sterling Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,143 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Sterling Heights have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #354 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 Sterling Heights 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 →