Lower Rouge Parkway
Park
261 acres4.9 mi of trail
West Loop TrailEast Loop TrailBuckshaver TrailRiver Edge Foot Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Canton Township
Canton Township has 39 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Lower Rouge Parkway (4.9 mi), Zibiwés Nature Area (2.9 mi), Victory Park (1.9 mi). 7% of Canton Township’s land is conserved, about 1,723 acres. 75% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #269 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,723 acres · of 36.1 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
930 ac
9.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
75%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
30 mi
30 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Canton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canton Township is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #269 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Canton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land9.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (930 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home75% 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 72%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 62%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Lower Rouge Parkway, with 4.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Holliday Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
55 acres0.9 mi of trail
Tulip Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cherry Hill Village Park
Park
7 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Zheshkwédokan Nature Area
Managed by Charter Township of Canton
27 acres0.5 mi of trail
Crooked Vulture Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Barchester Park
Managed by Canton Township
9 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 27 parks & preserves
Lower Rouge Parkway261 acres · 4.9 mi of trail
DirectionsZibiwés Nature Area134 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsVictory Park69 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHolliday Nature Preserve55 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHeritage Park92 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCherry Hill Village Park7 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsZheshkwédokan Nature Area27 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Charter Township of Canton
DirectionsBarchester Park9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Canton Township
DirectionsIndependence Park72 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWindsor Park Subdivision West Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Flodin Park & Fellows Creek Wetland Nature Trail28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWindsor Park Subdivision East Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPreservation Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHanridge Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Carriage Hills Homeowners Association
DirectionsGriffin Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFreedom Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSunflower Village Commons17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Hill Ridge Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Leeann Park13 acres · Carriage Hills Homeowners Association
Franklin Palmer Park8 acres
DirectionsForest Brook Park7 acres
Kingsway Park4 acres
Winter Park2 acres
Central Park2 acres
DirectionsCanton Country Acres Park2 acres
Cotton Wood Hollow Park2 acres
Green Meadow1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,723 conserved acres
7% of Canton Township’s land. Who manages Canton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city782 ac
County413 ac
Other state land347 ac
Private owners175 ac
Local Recreation Area · 702 acLocal Park · 436 acConservation Easement · 347 acPrivate Park · 175 acLocal Conservation Area · 56 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 354 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inkster Valley Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 357 | Restricted |
| Pheasant Run Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 345 | Restricted |
| Fellows Creek Private Park | Private owners | 171 | Restricted |
| Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 125 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Independance Park Local Park | Town or city | 78 | Open |
| Victory Park Local Park | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| William P Holliday Forest & Wildlife Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 56 | Open |
| Flodin Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Griffin Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
89 places to go in Canton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Canton Township
Central Park Subdivision Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Canton Township
Heritage HideoutIn Heritage Park
DirectionsSplash PlaygroundIn Heritage Park
DirectionsT&B Play CantonHours: Mon–Sun 10 am – 8 pm
Directions84 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Canton Township
Canton Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Canton Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 27.6 miUnpaved · 11.4 mi
West Loop Trail1.1 mi
East Loop Trail0.9 mi
South Loop Trail0.9 mi
Tulip Trail0.8 mi
Crooked Vulture Trail0.5 mi
North Wetlands Loop Trail0.5 mi
Buckshaver Trail0.4 mi
River Edge Foot Path0.2 mi
Hickory Loop0.2 mi
South Loop Alternate Connector0.2 mi
1 more trails
Corridor Cutoff
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
30 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
30 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
56Soccer
47Tennis
37Baseball
14Basketball
7Football
7Softball
3Volleyball
3Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Lilley Road-Lower Rouge RiverStructure · listed 2000
About itDavid and Elizabeth Bell Boldman HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itGeorge and Mary Pine Smith HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itJohn and Edna Trusdell Fischer FarmsteadDistrict · listed 2000
About itPhillip and Maria Hasselbach Dingledey HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itSheldon InnBuilding · listed 2000
About itThomas and Maria Blackman Bartlett HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itBenjamin and Mary Ann Bradford HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itKinyon, Orrin, and Roxanne Fairman, HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itPatterson, John, and Eliza Barr, HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itCherry Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003
About itEphraim and Emma Woodworth Truesdell HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Canton 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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Canton Township →
Next door
Canton Township and its neighbors
Canton Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Canton Township39 miSuperior Township36 miWestland29 miVan Buren Township20 miPlymouth Township9.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Township | 7% | 1.1 | 9 | 75% | B+ |
| Van Buren Township | 7% | 0.6 | 42 | 55% | B+ |
| Plymouth Township | 8% | 0.6 | 17 | 68% | B+ |
| Superior Township | 13% | 1.0 | 122 | 93% | A |
| Westland | 11% | 1.4 | 16 | 89% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Canton Township
Where can I hike in Canton Township?
The longest trail networks: Lower Rouge Parkway, 4.9 miles; Zibiwés Nature Area, 2.9 miles; Victory Park, 1.9 miles; Holliday Nature Preserve, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canton Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Canton Township’s trails?
Lower Rouge Parkway and Zibiwés Nature Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Canton Township?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 30 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Canton Township?
23,713 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 930 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Canton Township have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #269 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 Canton 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 →