Dolan Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
124 acres1.8 mi of trail
Coldwater Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bowne Township
Bowne Township has 212 acres of parks, 64 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Dolan Nature Sanctuary (1.8 mi). 22% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Bowne Township’s land is conserved, about 329 acres.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns · #551 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
329 acres · of 35.5 sq mi of land
Trails
2.8 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
212 ac
64 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
14
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bowne Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bowne Township is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns, #551 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bowne Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land64 acres of park per 1,000 residents (212 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home22% 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 36%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 21%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− 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 Dolan Nature Sanctuary, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Campbell Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
329 conserved acres
1% of Bowne Township’s land. Who manages Bowne Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners198 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits126 ac
County4 ac
Other state land1 ac
Private Park · 198 acPrivate Conservation · 126 acLocal Park · 4 acConservation Easement · 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolan Nature Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 123 | Open |
| Tyler Creek Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 119 | Restricted |
| Caledonia Sportsmans Club Private Park | Private owners | 79 | Open |
| Coldwater River Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
| Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Bowne Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bowne Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Bowne Township
Campbell Lake Boat LaunchIn Campbell Lake Public Access
DirectionsScenic views in Bowne Township
South TrailheadIn Dolan Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Coldwater Trail0.8 mi
North Country Trail0.2 mi
When to get out
The best walking months in Bowne 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bowne Township →
Next door
Bowne Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Irving Township15 miCaledonia Township10 miLowell Township3.9 miBowne Township2.8 miCampbell Township0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowne Township | 1% | 0.1 | 64 | 22% | C+ |
| Caledonia Township | 4% | 0.3 | 41 | 29% | B− |
| Campbell Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 6% | D |
| Irving Township | 18% | 0.4 | 1,061 | 56% | A− |
| Lowell Township | 5% | 0.1 | 147 | 44% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bowne Township
Where can I hike in Bowne Township?
The longest trail networks: Dolan Nature Sanctuary, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bowne Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Bowne Township’s trails?
Dolan Nature Sanctuary and Coldwater River County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bowne Township?
21,270 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bowne Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 212 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bowne Township have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #551 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 Bowne 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 →