Southeast Michigan’s parks, trails, waterfronts, and protected lands highlight unique natural landscapes and provide year-long opportunities to be active and enjoy outdoor recreation. The Parks and Recreation Plan for Southeast Michigan was developed to ensure that the region’s recreation system meets the quality of life, health, and accessibility needs of its residents and visitors, as well as local and regional economic development and environmental priorities.

View Parks and Rec Plan

southeast michigan ParkFinder®

The Southeast Michigan ParkFinder® application includes information about park amenities throughout the region, allowing users to see local, county, regional, and state parks, along with private recreation and conservation land, all on one streamlined map. It is integrated with Trail Explorer to provide virtual tours on more than 1,000 miles of greenways and paddling trails, and with TOTAGO to help plan outdoor experiences around walking, biking, and transit access.

Visit ParkFinder® in SEMCOG’s Map Gallery.

Parks in Southeast Michigan are owned and operated by local communities and counties, the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, the State of Michigan, federal agencies, and private organizations. This resource helps community officials promote parks and their amenities to both residents and visitors – whether located within their own community or in a community nearby. It also allows decision-makers to prioritize park investments within a regional context. The map includes more than 2,800 parks, which can be filtered by location, type, size, and by more than 45 recreational amenities in several categories, including trails and fitness, sports and games, water recreation, winter recreation, and other outdoor activities.

southeast michigan trail explorer

Take a virtual 360-degree tour of Southeast Michigan’s natural and recreational assets. SEMCOG’s Southeast Michigan Trail Explorer offers interactive image mapping of more than 50 regional land and water trails. In total, Trail Explorer provides virtual access to over 1,000 miles of regional trails including 570 miles of water and 520 miles greenways and land trails. It features high-resolution, panoramic, digital 360 degree-image files of hiking and biking trials; trailheads and points of interest along trails; rivers and their banks; and river access points and boat/kayak launches.

access to parks analysis tool

Understanding how many Southeast Michigan households have access to recreation opportunities can help communities plan improvements that serve more people. The Access to Parks Analysis Tool measures travel times between the region’s parks and households, allowing users to search by park amenities, travel modes, and demographic groups.

It is important to note that this analysis represents transportation access to parks, and does not capture other local conditions that may be barriers to park access, such as safety concerns, lower tree canopy or a lack of pleasant surroundings, and poorly maintained sidewalks or other park infrastructure. Therefore, to apply this analysis in planning and decision-making, it is important to consider the local context for these and other limitations noted in SEMCOG’s Parks and Recreation Plan. This also builds on the findings of SEMCOG’s Access to Core Services in Southeast Michigan report adopted in 2016, by applying updated park data and providing an additional level of analysis for specific park amenities.

Regional Policies for Parks & Recreation

  • Integrate community health and wellness initiatives with outdoor recreation opportunities.
  • Ensure equitable access to recreation opportunities for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities in Southeast Michigan. 
  • Promote the economic value of parks and recreation in Southeast Michigan. 
  • Support conservation and stewardship of natural and cultural resources, in balance with outdoor recreation opportunities. 
  • Raise awareness among Southeast Michigan residents and visitors about outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the region. 
  • Foster collaboration among outdoor recreation stakeholders.

Parks & Recreation Planning Assistance

SEMCOG has a variety of resources to assist your community in parks, trails, and recreation planning efforts. SEMCOG staff can provide guidance on grant applications, parks, recreation, and open space planning, data analysis, or other important parks and recreation-related issues. Additionally, SEMCOG’s plans for the region incorporate strategies that enhance the region’s parks and recreation system, including our:

SEMCOG currently maintains the following maps and data which may be useful in your community’s planning process:

  • Parks and Recreation Areas
  • Access to Parks
  • Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Land Use
  • Land Cover
  • Demographics
  • Housing

For more information on parks and recreation planning, please contact Tyler Klifman at SEMCOG

Parks and Recreation Regional Review

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources requires that Five-Year Recreation Plans and Notices of Intent for recreation grant applications be submitted to SEMCOG for regional review.

By working with SEMCOG during the development of a Five-Year Recreation Plan, communities can ensure better coordinated planning and that their plan does not conflict with regional or county plans. It is required that a copy of the final plan be sent to SEMCOG when it is submitted to DNR. Plans may be submitted electronically to [email protected], or by mail to the address below:

SEMCOG Economic and Community Vitality

1001 Woodward Avenue, Ste.1400

Detroit, MI 48226

In addition, applicants to DNR recreation grant programs are required to submit a Notice of Intent Form to SEMCOG prior to submittal of the grant application. NOI’s must be sent electronically to [email protected], as paper submissions are not accepted.