Thornapple Riverbend Greenspace
Park
208 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Caledonia Township
Caledonia Township has 682 acres of parks, 41 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Thornapple Riverbend Greenspace (1.8 mi), Lepard Preserve (0.9 mi), Caledonia Lakeside Park (0.7 mi). 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Caledonia Township’s land is conserved, about 892 acres.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #425 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
892 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
682 ac
41 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
9.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Caledonia Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Caledonia Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #425 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 Caledonia Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land41 acres of park per 1,000 residents (682 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home29% 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 53%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 39%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Thornapple Riverbend Greenspace, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lepard Preserve
Nature preserve
56 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Thornapple Riverbend Greenspace208 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsLepard Preserve56 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCaledonia Lakeside Park61 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsTwo Rivers Park285 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Shore Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCal Plex40 acres
DirectionsRuehs Park7 acres
DirectionsCampau Lake Public Access4 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCommunity Green4 acres · Caledonia Township
DirectionsLaBarge Dam Recreation Area1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
892 conserved acres
4% of Caledonia Township’s land. Who manages Caledonia Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners451 ac
County304 ac
Other state land136 ac
Private Park · 451 acLocal Park · 304 acConservation Easement · 136 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 137 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatoon Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 313 | Restricted |
| Thornapple Riverbend Park Local Park | County | 206 | Open |
| Broadmoor Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 138 | Restricted |
| Lepard Park Local Park | County | 51 | Open |
| Caledonia Lakeside County Park Local Park | County | 43 | Open |
| Fred W. Ruehs Park Local Park | County | 5 | Open |
Things to do
22 places to go in Caledonia Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Caledonia Township
Emmons Lake Playground East
DirectionsEmmons Lake Playground West
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Caledonia Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Caledonia Township
Campau Lake Boat LaunchIn Campau Lake Public Access
DirectionsLaBarge Dam Downstream Kayak LaunchIn LaBarge Dam Recreation Area
DirectionsScenic views in Caledonia Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Caledonia Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.9 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
28Tennis
19Soccer
19Baseball
8Basketball
4Football
4Pickleball
3Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Caledonia 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) | 9.4 | 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 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Caledonia Township →
Next door
Caledonia Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cascade Township23 miThornapple Township14 miCaledonia Township10 miGaines Township6.8 miBowne Township2.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia Township | 4% | 0.3 | 41 | 29% | B− |
| Bowne Township | 1% | 0.1 | 64 | 22% | C+ |
| Cascade Township | 4% | 0.7 | 26 | 38% | B |
| Thornapple Township | 3% | 0.4 | 67 | 51% | B |
| Gaines Township | 3% | 0.2 | 8 | 45% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Caledonia Township
Where can I hike in Caledonia Township?
The longest trail networks: Thornapple Riverbend Greenspace, 1.8 miles; Lepard Preserve, 0.9 miles; Caledonia Lakeside Park, 0.7 miles; Two Rivers Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Caledonia Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Caledonia Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Caledonia Lakeside Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Caledonia Township?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.9 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Caledonia Township?
23,320 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Caledonia Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 682 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Caledonia Township have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #425 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 Caledonia 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 →