W. J. Hayes State Park
Park
439 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cambridge Township
Cambridge Township has 1,086 acres of parks, 190 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: W. J. Hayes State Park (0.8 mi). 2.0 miles of mapped trail cross Cambridge Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 41% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #411 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,160 acres · of 31.9 sq mi of land
Trails
2.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,086 ac
190 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
27
1 beach · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Cambridge Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cambridge Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cambridge Township is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #411 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cambridge Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land190 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,086 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home41% 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 54%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 41%
Water is 10% of Cambridge Township’s area (4 of 35 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 W. J. Hayes State Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Onsted State Game Area
Nature preserve
512 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cambridge Junction Historic State Park
Park
62 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Allen Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
36 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
W. J. Hayes State Park439 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsOnsted State Game Area512 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCambridge Junction Historic State Park62 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAllen Lake Public Access36 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Frances Broehl Memorial No. 1 Nature Sanctuary23 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Onsted Park19 acres
Cambridge Junction Roadside Park3 acres
DirectionsLoch Erin park1 acres
Who protects it
1,160 conserved acres
6% of Cambridge Township’s land. Water is left out: Cambridge Township has 31.9 square miles of land and 3.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Cambridge Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife519 ac
State parks504 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service107 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits29 ac
Other state land1 ac
State Conservation Area · 519 acState Park · 441 acConservation Easement · 108 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 63 acPrivate Conservation · 29 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 108 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onsted State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 519 | Open |
| Hayes State Park State Park | State parks | 441 | Open |
| Cambridge State Historic Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 63 | Open |
| Frances Broehl Mem. No.1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 29 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Cambridge Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Cambridge Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Cambridge Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Cambridge Township
Deep Lake Boat LaunchIn Onsted State Game Area
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Cambridge Township
Plus 4 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
27 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Allen LakelakeButter-ladle LakeCambridge LakelakeCrooked LakeDeep LakeDewey LakelakeGrassy LakelakeIron LakelakeKelly LakelakeKillarney LakelakeLittle Stony LakelakeLoch ErinlakeMarrs LakelakeMcKeichey LakelakeMeadow LakelakeMiller PondPhelps LakelakePrivate PondlakeRound LakelakeSand LakelakeStony LakeTimber LakelakeWashington LakelakeWhite lakelakeWolf LakelakeRiver Rasindo not know flow
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
9Baseball
6Tennis
3Soccer
2Football
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Walker TavernBuilding · listed 1971
About itNathaniel S. Wheeler HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itSaint Michael and All Angels' Episcopal Church and Cambridge Township CemeteryDistrict · listed 2004
About itIrish Hills TowersBuilding · listed 2007
About itWalker's, S., HotelBuilding · listed 2007
About itSaint Joseph Church and ShrineDistrict · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cambridge Township: July 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Cambridge Township →
Next door
Cambridge Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Township | 6% | 0.1 | 190 | 41% | B− |
| Franklin Township | 3% | 0.3 | 300 | 22% | B |
| Woodstock Township | 3% | 0.1 | 120 | 24% | C+ |
| Norvell Township | 14% | 0.3 | 1,172 | 35% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cambridge Township
Where can I hike in Cambridge Township?
The longest trail networks: W. Hayes State Park, 0.8 miles; Onsted State Game Area, 0.3 miles; Cambridge Junction Historic State Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cambridge Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Cambridge Township’s trails?
W. Hayes State Park and Onsted State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cambridge Township?
12,922 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cambridge Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,086 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cambridge Township have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #411 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 Cambridge 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 →