Crystal Diamonds Park
Park
23 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bruce Township
Bruce Township has 462 acres of parks, 47 for every 1,000 residents
18 miles of mapped trail cross Bruce Township, 0.5 per square mile of land. 3% of Bruce Township’s land is conserved, about 813 acres. 60% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #316 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
813 acres · of 36.7 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
462 ac
47 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
60%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.7 mi
1.7 mi paths
Highest peak
1,145 ft
Twombly Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bruce Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bruce Township is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #316 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 Bruce Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land47 acres of park per 1,000 residents (462 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home60% 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 67%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 55%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
East Pond Preserve
Managed by Six Rivers Land Conservancy
23 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Simpson Park
Park
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bruce Township Park
Park
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Crystal Diamonds Park23 acres
East Pond Preserve23 acres · Six Rivers Land Conservancy
Simpson Park15 acres
Bruce Township Park8 acres
Orchards Park4 acres
DirectionsRomeo Trailside Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
813 conserved acres
3% of Bruce Township’s land. Who manages Bruce Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners505 ac
Town or city206 ac
Other state land102 ac
Private Park · 369 acLocal Other or Unknown · 149 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 136 acConservation Easement · 102 acLocal Park · 57 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 101 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heather Hills Golf & Racquet Club, Inc. Private Park | Private owners | 183 | Restricted |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 149 | Open |
| Otsikita Girl Scout Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 136 | Open |
| Bruce Hills Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 108 | Restricted |
| Simpson Park & Camp Meeting Private Park | Private owners | 42 | Open |
| No. Hills Sports Club Private Park | Private owners | 37 | Open |
| Crystal Diamonds Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Romeo Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Orchard Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Bruce Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bruce Township
Sesquicentenial Playground
DirectionsPeaks in Bruce Township
Twombly Mountain1,145 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Bruce Township
Simpson Park Campgrounds
DirectionsTrails & water
9 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
1.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
8Soccer
5Baseball
4Softball
3Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bruce Township: June, August 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bruce Township →
Next door
Bruce Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Washington Township52 miAddison Township35 miBruce Township18 miArmada Township4.3 miAlmont Township1.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Township | 3% | 0.5 | 47 | 60% | B+ |
| Armada Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 28% | C− |
| Addison Township | 9% | 1.0 | 285 | 53% | A− |
| Almont Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 11 | 34% | C− |
| Washington Township | 17% | 1.5 | 92 | 59% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bruce Township
How much of Bruce Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Bruce Township’s trails?
Crystal Diamonds Park and East Pond Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bruce Township?
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bruce Township?
16,292 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bruce Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 462 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bruce Township have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #316 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 Bruce 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 →