Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Sylvan Lake
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 0.5 miles of mapped trail cross Sylvan Lake, 1.0 per square mile of land. 4% of Sylvan Lake’s land is conserved, about 16 acres.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Sylvan Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Sylvan Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sylvan Lake is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Water is 39% of Sylvan Lake’s area (0 of 1 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
16 conserved acres
4% of Sylvan Lake’s land. Water is left out: Sylvan Lake has 0.5 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Sylvan Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Ferndale Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Lakeview Beach Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
9 places to go in Sylvan Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
1.2 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.
The best walking months in Sylvan Lake: 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 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
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 Sylvan Lake →
Sylvan Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvan Lake | 4% | 1.0 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| West Bloomfield Township | 8% | 2.4 | 13 | 87% | A |
| Pontiac | 6% | 1.4 | 13 | 92% | A− |
| Waterford Township | 8% | 1.4 | 21 | 85% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sylvan Lake
Where can I hike in Sylvan Lake?
The longest trail networks: Community Center Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sylvan Lake is conserved land?
4% 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 Sylvan Lake’s trails?
Clinton River Trail and Community Center Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sylvan Lake?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sylvan Lake?
14,305 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sylvan Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 23 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Sylvan Lake have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Sylvan Lake 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 →