Bass River Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,268 acres4.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Allendale Township
Allendale Township has 1,567 acres of parks, 59 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Bass River Recreation Area (4.2 mi), Eastmanville Bayou Park (1.6 mi), VanSteeland Arboretum (0.7 mi). 16 miles of mapped trail cross Allendale Township, 0.5 per square mile of land. 51% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #314 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
792 acres · of 31.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,567 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Allendale Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Allendale Township is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #314 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Allendale Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,567 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home51% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 67%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 55%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 Bass River Recreation Area, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eastmanville Bayou Park
Nature preserve
139 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
VanSteeland Arboretum
Park
6 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Allendale Community Park
Managed by Allendale Charter Township
42 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Bass River Recreation Area1,268 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsEastmanville Bayou Park139 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsVanSteeland Arboretum6 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Allendale Community Park42 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Allendale Charter Township
DirectionsCadence Place Condo Common Area1 acres · Cadence Place Condominium Association
Who protects it
792 conserved acres
4% of Allendale Township’s land. Who manages Allendale Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city252 ac
County229 ac
State natural resources190 ac
Other state land119 ac
Local Conservation Area · 229 acLocal Recreation Area · 215 acState Park · 190 acConservation Easement · 119 acLocal Park · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 121 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Meadows Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 215 | Restricted |
| Bakale Wildlife Unit State Park | State natural resources | 190 | Open |
| Eastmanville Bayou Local Conservation Area | County | 155 | Open |
| Kuits Bayou Local Conservation Area | County | 74 | Open |
| Allendale Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
Things to do
19 places to go in Allendale Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Allendale Township
Evolve Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Allendale Township
14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Allendale Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Allendale Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
20Baseball
20Basketball
9Tennis
7Beach volleyball
4Soccer
4Football
3Multi-sport
2Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Allendale Township: June 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Allendale Township →
Next door
Allendale Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Georgetown Township31 miRobinson Township17 miAllendale Township16 miTallmadge Township16 miPolkton Township9.2 miBlendon Township1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale Township | 4% | 0.5 | 59 | 51% | B+ |
| Polkton Township | 3% | 0.2 | 291 | 39% | B |
| Tallmadge Township | 5% | 0.5 | 99 | 34% | B+ |
| Robinson Township | 3% | 0.4 | 214 | 33% | B |
| Blendon Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 24 | 9% | C− |
| Georgetown Township | 7% | 0.9 | 21 | 60% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Allendale Township
Where can I hike in Allendale Township?
The longest trail networks: Bass River Recreation Area, 4.2 miles; Eastmanville Bayou Park, 1.6 miles; VanSteeland Arboretum, 0.7 miles; Allendale Community Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Allendale Township 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 Allendale Township’s trails?
Bass River Recreation Area and Eastmanville Bayou Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Allendale Township?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Allendale Township?
14,810 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Allendale Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,567 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Allendale Township have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #314 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 Allendale Township 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 →