Riverside Park
Our Take
Tucked right beside downtown Auburn Hills, Riverside Park is the little green counterweight to the town’s big-box energy — a genuinely pretty stretch along the Clinton River, with brick-paved downtown sidewalks leading in, open lawn, and a canoe launch for anyone who wants to actually get on the water in the warm months. It’s a modest park, not a sprawling nature preserve, but that’s the appeal: it’s the walkable, riverside heart of a downtown that’s easy to overlook.
It doubles as a natural jumping-off point for the Clinton River Trail and a nice place to land after a coffee or a bite downtown. Bring a picnic, bring the dog, bring a paddle. It’s free, low-key, and exactly the kind of small pleasure the big attractions can make you forget a town has. We’ve got it on our list as a free, easygoing riverside stop in Auburn Hills.
