Sarett Nature Center
Managed by Sarett Nature Center
371 acres7 mi of trail
Grassland LoopUpland TrailLowland TrailPine Tree Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mary's City of David · Photo: FotoGuy 49057 · CC BY 2.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Benton Township
Benton Township has 656 acres of parks, 46 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Sarett Nature Center (7 mi), Brown Sanctuary (1 mi). 44% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Benton Township’s land is conserved, about 1,000 acres.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #348 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,000 acres · of 32.4 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
656 ac
46 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
44%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.8 mi
9.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Benton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Benton Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #348 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 Benton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land46 acres of park per 1,000 residents (656 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home44% 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 63%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 50%
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 Sarett Nature Center, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Brown Sanctuary
Managed by Sarett Nature Center
369 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Benton Park
Managed by Benton Charter Township
62 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Sarett Nature Center371 acres · 7 mi of trail · Sarett Nature Center
DirectionsBrown Sanctuary369 acres · 1 mi of trail · Sarett Nature Center
DirectionsBenton Park62 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Benton Charter Township
DirectionsSouthwest Michigan Underwater Preserve4 acres
Rocky Gap Park2 acres
Jean Klock Park1 acres
Tower Hill Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,000 conserved acres
5% of Benton Township’s land. Who manages Benton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners519 ac
Town or city274 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits201 ac
Other state land50 ac
County6 ac
Private Park · 519 acLocal Park · 279 acLocal Conservation Area · 194 acConservation Easement · 50 acPrivate Conservation · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarett Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 421 | Open |
| Benton Park Local Park | Town or city | 260 | Open |
| Point O' Woods Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 185 | Restricted |
| Blossom Trails Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 107 | Restricted |
| Butler Field Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Held For Transfer- Blue Creek Fen Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Closed |
| Rocky Gap County Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| East Robbins Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Byrite Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Benton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Benton Township
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Benton Township
Benton Township River Park Boat LaunchIn Benton Park
DirectionsScenic views in Benton Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.5 mi
Grassland Loop1.4 mi
Upland Trail1.1 mi
Lowland Trail0.9 mi
Hideaway Trail0.6 mi
Pine Tree Loop0.5 mi
Meadowlark Lanel0.4 mi
Rolling Meadow Loop0.4 mi
Ridge Loop0.1 mi
River Trail0.1 mi
Highline Trail0.1 mi
2 more trails
Treehouse Trail
0.1 miBack Stairs
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Soccer
5Baseball
4Tennis
3Basketball
2Softball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Benton Township: June, July and 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) | 33 | 35 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Benton Township →
Next door
Benton Township and its neighbors
Benton Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benton Township13 miHagar Township5.9 miBenton Harbor2.9 miBainbridge Township1.7 miRoyalton Township1.5 miBenton Heights0.4 miFair Plain0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | 5% | 0.4 | 46 | 44% | B |
| Benton Harbor | 3% | 0.7 | 17 | 96% | B+ |
| Benton Heights | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fair Plain | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bainbridge Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 1% | D |
| Royalton Township | 2% | 0.1 | 39 | 7% | C |
| Hagar Township | 4% | 0.3 | 99 | 36% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benton Township
Where can I hike in Benton Township?
The longest trail networks: Sarett Nature Center, 7 miles; Brown Sanctuary, 1 miles; Benton Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Benton Township 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 Benton Township’s trails?
Sarett Nature Center and Brown Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Benton Township?
9.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Benton Township?
6,264 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 656 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Benton Township have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #348 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 Benton 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 →