Lake Erie Metropark
Park
1,313 acres11 mi of trail
Cherry Island TrailTrapper's RunBig Turtle Shortcut
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Brownstown Township
12% of Brownstown Township’s land is conserved: 1,694 acres
1,696 acres are parks and preserves, 52 per 1,000 residents. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Brownstown Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lake Erie Metropark (11 mi), Thorn Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #98 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,694 acres · of 22.0 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,696 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
83%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.6 mi
7.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
17 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Brownstown Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brownstown Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brownstown Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #98 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brownstown Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,696 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home83% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 86%
Water is 28% of Brownstown Township’s area (8 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Lake Erie Metropark, with 11 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pointe Mouillee State Game Area
Nature preserve
212 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fort-Allen Park
Park
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Capital Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Lake Erie Metropark1,313 acres · 11 mi of trail
DirectionsThorn Park28 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPointe Mouillee State Game Area212 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPrairie Creek Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFort-Allen Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Capital Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
King Road Ballfields19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHull's Trace Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsBrownstown Prairie State Wildlife Area53 acres
Sibley Prairie Nature Preserve - West Prairie36 acres · Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
Frazier Park10 acres
Fort-Gib Park7 acres
DirectionsSturgeon Bar3 acres
Who protects it
1,694 conserved acres
12% of Brownstown Township’s land. Water is left out: Brownstown Township has 22.0 square miles of land and 8.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Brownstown Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,258 ac
Other state land377 ac
State fish & wildlife53 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits45 ac
Local Park · 1,256 acConservation Easement · 377 acState Conservation Area · 53 acPrivate Conservation · 45 acLocal Other or Unknown · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 337 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 1,121 | Open |
| Thorn Park and Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Brownstown Prairie State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 53 | Open |
| Sibley Prairie-West Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 40 | Open |
| Arsenal Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Chataham Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Flowers Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Fairway Villa Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Capital Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Sleepy Hollow Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Brownstown Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Brownstown Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Brownstown Township
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brownstown Township
Huron River Mouth Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 16 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Brownstown Township
Boat House & DockIn Lake Erie Metropark
DirectionsEagle's Way OverlookIn Lake Erie Metropark
DirectionsMarina Point Observation DeckIn Lake Erie Metropark
DirectionsRiley Creek OverlookIn Lake Erie Metropark
DirectionsSanger's Lagoon OverlookIn Lake Erie Metropark
DirectionsWyman's Canal OverlookIn Lake Erie Metropark
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.3 mi
Cherry Island Trail1.0 mi
Trapper's Run0.9 mi
Deer Run0.2 mi
Big Turtle Shortcut0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Baseball
12Tennis
5Basketball
3Football
2Volleyball
2Soccer
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hull's Trace North Huron River Corduroy SegmentStructure · listed 2010
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brownstown 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 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Brownstown Township →
Next door
Brownstown Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Huron Township26 miBerlin Township25 miBrownstown Township18 miGrosse Ile Township12 miGibraltar8.2 miFlat Rock3.7 miRiverview1.6 miWoodhaven0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownstown Township | 12% | 0.8 | 52 | 83% | A |
| Berlin Township | 24% | 0.8 | 290 | 53% | A |
| Gibraltar | 31% | 2.2 | 12 | 99% | A |
| Grosse Ile Township | 12% | 1.3 | 23 | 79% | A |
| Woodhaven | 6% | 0.1 | 13 | 96% | B |
| Flat Rock | 4% | 0.6 | 14 | 84% | B+ |
| Riverview | 17% | 0.3 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Huron Township | 15% | 0.7 | 230 | 49% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brownstown Township
Where can I hike in Brownstown Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Erie Metropark, 11 miles; Thorn Park, 0.8 miles; Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, 0.4 miles; Prairie Creek Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brownstown Township is conserved land?
12% 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 Brownstown Township’s trails?
Lake Erie Metropark and Thorn Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brownstown Township?
7.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brownstown Township?
18,308 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brownstown Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,696 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brownstown Township have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #98 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 Brownstown 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 →