Ortonville State Recreation Area
Nature preserve
1,147 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Bryan Duggan · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Brandon Township
Brandon Township has 1,257 acres of parks, 81 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Ortonville State Recreation Area (2.3 mi). 6% of Brandon Township’s land is conserved, about 1,328 acres. 5.5 miles of mapped trail cross Brandon Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #395 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,328 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
5.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,257 ac
81 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
4.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
17
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Brandon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brandon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brandon Township is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #395 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 Brandon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land81 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,257 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home37% 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 57%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 44%
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 Ortonville State Recreation Area, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
Ortonville State Recreation Area1,147 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBrandon Township Community Park46 acres
DirectionsNarrin Village Park3 acres
DirectionsCharles F. Sherman Memorial Park2 acres
DirectionsOrtonville Ball Park1 acres
DirectionsBald Eagle Lake Park1 acres · Bald Eagle Island Property Owners Association
Who protects it
1,328 conserved acres
6% of Brandon Township’s land. Who manages Brandon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,143 ac
Other state land104 ac
Town or city53 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits29 ac
Private owners4 ac
State Recreation Area · 1,143 acConservation Easement · 123 acLocal Park · 53 acUnknown Easement · 10 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 128 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortonville Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 1,143 | Open |
| Ortonville Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Gordonwood Camp and Retreat Center Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 4 | Open |
| Sherman Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Ortonville Ball Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Crossman Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Narrin Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Brandon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Brandon Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Brandon Township
2 swimming spots without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Brandon Township
Bald Eagle Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
17 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Tennis
12Soccer
9Baseball
3Pickleball
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Ortonville MillBuilding · listed 1971
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brandon 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) | 29 | 33 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Brandon Township →
Next door
Brandon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oxford Township39 miGroveland Township38 miHadley Township31 miIndependence Township19 miBrandon Township5.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Township | 6% | 0.2 | 81 | 37% | B |
| Groveland Township | 10% | 1.1 | 362 | 33% | A− |
| Independence Township | 14% | 0.5 | 54 | 52% | A− |
| Hadley Township | 21% | 0.9 | 987 | 46% | A |
| Oxford Township | 16% | 1.2 | 76 | 75% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brandon Township
Where can I hike in Brandon Township?
The longest trail networks: Ortonville State Recreation Area, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brandon Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Brandon Township’s trails?
Ortonville State Recreation Area and Brandon Township Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brandon Township?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brandon Township?
27,844 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brandon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,275 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brandon Township have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #395 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 Brandon 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 →