Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.099% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Ypsilanti
5.8 miles of mapped trail cross Ypsilanti, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: University Park (1.6 mi), Parkridge Park (0.8 mi), Recreation Park (0.5 mi). 150 acres are parks and preserves, 7.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #226 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Ypsilanti?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Ypsilanti have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ypsilanti is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #226 of 701 in Michigan. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
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 University Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Parkridge Park
All 13 parks & preserves
105 conserved acres
4% of Ypsilanti’s land. Who manages Ypsilanti’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Parkridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Prospect Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Waterworks Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Frog Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Peninsular Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Candy Cane Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| River'S Edge Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Hillside Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Closed |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
16 places to go in Ypsilanti
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
12 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.
8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Ypsilanti: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 45 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
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 Ypsilanti →
Ypsilanti and its neighbors
Ypsilanti 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti | 4% | 1.4 | 8 | 99% | A− |
| Ypsilanti Township | 11% | 1.2 | 30 | 89% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ypsilanti
Where can I hike in Ypsilanti?
The longest trail networks: University Park, 1.6 miles; Parkridge Park, 0.8 miles; Recreation Park, 0.5 miles; Waterworks Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ypsilanti 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 Ypsilanti’s trails?
University Park and Parkridge Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ypsilanti?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.5 of painted or protected lanes, 7.4 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ypsilanti?
13,071 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ypsilanti or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 150 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ypsilanti have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #226 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 Ypsilanti 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 →