Kensington Metropark
Park
466 acres6.3 mi of trail
Wildwing TrailC2-LoopAspen TrailAspen Trail / Chickadee Trail / Deer Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Brighton Township
Brighton Township has 648 acres of parks, 33 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Kensington Metropark (6.3 mi). 27% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Brighton Township’s land is conserved, about 1,188 acres.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #373 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,188 acres · of 33.0 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
648 ac
33 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
27%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
18
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brighton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brighton Township is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #373 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 Brighton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% 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 land33 acres of park per 1,000 residents (648 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home27% 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 59%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 47%
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 Kensington Metropark, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Woodland Lake Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,188 conserved acres
6% of Brighton Township’s land. Who manages Brighton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city631 ac
Private owners509 ac
Other state land48 ac
Private Park · 509 acLocal Park · 440 acLocal Recreation Area · 114 acLocal Other or Unknown · 76 acState Conservation Area · 41 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Club of Michigan Private Park | Private owners | 372 | Restricted |
| Kensington Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 356 | Open |
| Kensington Metropark Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 114 | Restricted |
| Livingston Gun & Archery Club Private Park | Private owners | 99 | Open |
| Township of Brighton Park Local Park | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Gravel Pit Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 54 | Closed |
| State Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 41 | Open |
| Livingston Gun Club Private Park | Private owners | 37 | Open |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 22 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Brighton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brighton Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brighton Township
Woodland Lake Boat LaunchIn Woodland Lake Boating Access Site
DirectionsScenic views in Brighton Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.3 mi
Wildwing Trail1.7 mi
C2-Loop1.4 mi
Aspen Trail1.3 mi
Aspen Trail / Chickadee Trail / Deer Run Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
13Soccer
10Baseball
3Basketball
1Tennis
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).
Timothy and Lucretia Jones Warner HomesteadBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brighton Township: July 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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Brighton Township →
Next door
Brighton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Green Oak Township105 miMilford Township101 miHartland Township24 miGenoa Township23 miBrighton Township16 miBrighton1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Township | 6% | 0.5 | 33 | 27% | B |
| Brighton | 1% | 0.3 | 3 | 62% | C |
| Green Oak Township | 29% | 3.1 | 293 | 53% | A |
| Hartland Township | 3% | 0.7 | 19 | 16% | B− |
| Genoa Township | 10% | 0.7 | 59 | 42% | A− |
| Milford Township | 26% | 3.1 | 323 | 68% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brighton Township
Where can I hike in Brighton Township?
The longest trail networks: Kensington Metropark, 6.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brighton 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 Brighton Township’s trails?
Kensington Metropark and Woodland Lake Boating Access Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Brighton Township?
35,123 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brighton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 648 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brighton Township have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #373 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 Brighton 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 →