Fernwood Botanical Gardens
Nature preserve
106 acres3.5 mi of trail
Wilderness TrailArboretum TrailEcology TrailOld Field Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: JDNorry · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Buchanan Township
Buchanan Township has 911 acres of parks, 265 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Fernwood Botanical Gardens (3.5 mi), Myron Perlman Nature Preserve (1.3 mi), Tallgrass Prairie (0.7 mi). 5% of Buchanan Township’s land is conserved, about 989 acres. 53% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #321 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
989 acres · of 32.1 sq mi of land
Trails
8.0 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
911 ac
265 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
16
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Buchanan Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Buchanan Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Buchanan Township is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #321 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 Buchanan Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land265 acres of park per 1,000 residents (911 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home53% 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 67%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 54%
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 Fernwood Botanical Gardens, with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Myron Perlman Nature Preserve
Managed by Chickaming Open Lands
44 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Tallgrass Prairie
Park
6 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Boyle Lake State Wildlife Area
Managed by Michigan DNR - Wildlife Division
146 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Fernwood Botanical Gardens106 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMyron Perlman Nature Preserve44 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Chickaming Open Lands
Tallgrass Prairie6 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
McCoy Creek Recreation Area4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Boyle Lake State Wildlife Area146 acres · Michigan DNR - Wildlife Division
Mud Lake Bog108 acres · Buchanan Township
Buchanan St. Joseph River Access Site8 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWalton Bridge Park3 acres · Buchanan Township
Who protects it
989 conserved acres
5% of Buchanan Township’s land. Who manages Buchanan Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city671 ac
State fish & wildlife147 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits57 ac
Private owners54 ac
State natural resources9 ac
Not recorded51 ac
Local Recreation Area · 451 acLocal Conservation Area · 218 acState Conservation Area · 147 acPrivate Park · 106 acForest Stewardship Easement · 34 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Madron Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 451 | Open |
| Boyle Lake State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 147 | Open |
| Mud Lake Bog Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 119 | Open |
| Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 99 | Open |
| Brookwood Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 54 | Restricted |
| Red Bud Mountain Ski Area Private Park | Not recorded | 51 | Open |
| Batchelors Island Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 24 | Open |
| Miami Marina Boat Launch State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 9 | Open |
| Sampson Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Buchanan Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Buchanan Township
Buchanan St. Joseph River Boat LaunchIn Buchanan St. Joseph River Access Site
DirectionsPublic Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Buchanan Township
OverlookIn Fernwood Botanical Gardens
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Wilderness Trail0.5 mi
Arboretum Trail0.5 mi
Ecology Trail0.4 mi
Old Field Trail0.2 mi
Oak Woods Trail0.1 mi
River Trail0.1 mi
Ridge Trail0.1 mi
Pine Woods 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
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Buchanan Township: April, 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Buchanan Township →
Next door
Buchanan Township and its neighbors
Buchanan Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oronoko Township20 miBuchanan Township8.0 miNiles Township7.8 miBertrand Township0.0 miWeesaw Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan Township | 5% | 0.2 | 265 | 53% | B+ |
| Oronoko Township | 1% | 0.6 | 15 | 67% | B− |
| Bertrand Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 29 | 8% | C− |
| Niles Township | 2% | 0.2 | 18 | 60% | B− |
| Weesaw Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 135 | 4% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Buchanan Township
Where can I hike in Buchanan Township?
The longest trail networks: Fernwood Botanical Gardens, 3.5 miles; Myron Perlman Nature Preserve, 1.3 miles; Tallgrass Prairie, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Buchanan Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Buchanan Township’s trails?
Fernwood Botanical Gardens and Myron Perlman Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Buchanan Township?
7,706 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Buchanan Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 911 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Buchanan Township have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #321 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 Buchanan 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 →