Coolbough Natural Area
Managed by Coolbough Natural Area
366 acres4.8 mi of trail
Wetland LoopPrairie LoopCatherdral Pines LoopOld Rail Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Brooks Township
25% of Brooks Township’s land is conserved: 4,997 acres
837 acres are parks and preserves, 222 per 1,000 residents. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Brooks Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Coolbough Natural Area (4.8 mi), Newaygo Prarie Sanctuary (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #100 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
4,997 acres · of 31.5 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
837 ac
222 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
11
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Brooks Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brooks Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brooks Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #100 of 701 in Michigan. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brooks Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land222 acres of park per 1,000 residents (837 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home48% 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 88%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 86%
Water is 7% of Brooks Township’s area (2 of 34 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 23%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. 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 Coolbough Natural Area, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Newaygo Prarie Sanctuary
Nature preserve
106 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
EH Henning County Park
Managed by Newaygo County
12 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
High Rollway - Thornapple Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
33 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Coolbough Natural Area366 acres · 4.8 mi of trail · Coolbough Natural Area
DirectionsNewaygo Prarie Sanctuary106 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsEH Henning County Park12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Newaygo County
Brooks Lake Boating Access Site17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHigh Rollway Roadside Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Transportation
DirectionsHigh Rollway - Thornapple Boating Access Site33 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHess Lake Boating Access Site1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
4,997 conserved acres
25% of Brooks Township’s land. Water is left out: Brooks Township has 31.5 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Brooks Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service4,188 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits611 ac
Town or city143 ac
State natural resources55 ac
National Forest · 4,188 acConservation Easement · 423 acState Conservation Area · 188 acLocal Recreation Area · 143 acState Recreation Area · 55 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 423 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 4,188 | Open |
| Camp Calvary Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 143 | Open |
| Newaygo Prairie State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 108 | Open |
| Karner Blue State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Open |
| Public Water Access Site State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 55 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Brooks Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Brooks Township
Brooks Lake Boat LaunchIn Brooks Lake Boating Access Site
DirectionsHess Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsThornapple Public Boat LaunchFee
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.6 mi
North Country National Scenic Trail5.0 mi
Wetland Loop1.3 mi
Prairie Loop1.2 mi
Catherdral Pines Loop0.6 mi
Old Rail Trail0.5 mi
Bigelow Creek Trail0.4 mi
Spur Trail to North Country Trail0.3 mi
Poplar0.2 mi
Wetland Trail0.1 mi
Access 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
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Brooks 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 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 Brooks Township →
Next door
Brooks Township and its neighbors
Brooks Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Croton Township27 miBrooks Township27 miEverett Township25 miGrant Township10 miGarfield Township3.9 miNewaygo1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks Township | 25% | 0.9 | 222 | 48% | A |
| Newaygo | 7% | 0.3 | 61 | 77% | A− |
| Everett Township | 23% | 0.7 | 28 | 15% | B+ |
| Garfield Township | 2% | 0.1 | 70 | 13% | C+ |
| Croton Township | 11% | 0.8 | 50 | 26% | B+ |
| Grant Township | 1% | 0.3 | under 1 | 6% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brooks Township
Where can I hike in Brooks Township?
The longest trail networks: Coolbough Natural Area, 4.8 miles; Newaygo Prarie Sanctuary, 0.5 miles; EH Henning County Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brooks Township is conserved land?
25% 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 Brooks Township’s trails?
Coolbough Natural Area and Newaygo Prarie Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Brooks Township?
44,577 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brooks Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,710 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brooks Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #100 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 Brooks 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 →