Red Cedar River Plant Preserve
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Williamston Downtown Historic District · Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Williamston
Williamston has 67 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Williamston, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Red Cedar River Plant Preserve (0.5 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #207 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
76 acres · of 2.5 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
67 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Williamston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Williamston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Williamston is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #207 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Williamston’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (67 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks close to home88% 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 78%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 71%
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 Red Cedar River Plant Preserve, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
76 conserved acres
5% of Williamston’s land. Who manages Williamston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city35 ac
Private owners21 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits19 ac
Local Park · 34 acPrivate Park · 21 acPrivate Conservation · 19 acLocal Conservation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Cedar River Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Open |
| Deer Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Brookshire Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 11 | Restricted |
| Wheatfield Valley Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 10 | Restricted |
| Mccormick Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| West End Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Old Mill Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Williamston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Williamston
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Williamston
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
9Tennis
5Basketball
4Baseball
3Tracks
2Football
2Soccer
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).
Williamston Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Williamston: July to 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) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Williamston →
Next door
Williamston and its neighbors
Williamston has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamston | 5% | 1.0 | 18 | 88% | A− |
| Williamstown Township | 1% | 0.2 | 30 | 28% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Williamston
Where can I hike in Williamston?
The longest trail networks: Red Cedar River Plant Preserve, 0.5 miles; McCormick Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Williamston is conserved land?
5% 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 Williamston’s trails?
Red Cedar River Plant Preserve and McCormick Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Williamston?
9,218 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Williamston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 67 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Williamston have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #207 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 Williamston 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 →