Cascade Peace Park
Park
201 acres4.2 mi of trail
Main TrailNorth Loop TrailSouth Loop TrailLookout Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Cascade Township
Cascade Township has 23 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Cascade Peace Park (4.2 mi), Cascade Burton Park (2.9 mi), Cascade Township Park (1.5 mi). 522 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents. 38% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #361 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
884 acres · of 33.9 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
522 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
38%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
18 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cascade Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cascade Township is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #361 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cascade Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (522 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home38% 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 61%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 49%
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 Cascade Peace Park, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cascade Burton Park
Park
80 acres2.9 mi of trail
Sarah and Mike Julien Hiking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shaggy Pines Dog Park
Park
18 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Cascade Peace Park201 acres · 4.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCascade Burton Park80 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCascade Township Park68 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsShaggy Pines Dog Park18 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Leslie E. Tassell Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMichael McGraw Park67 acres
Airport Viewing Area14 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
884 conserved acres
4% of Cascade Township’s land. Who manages Cascade Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city458 ac
Private owners276 ac
Other state land100 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits78 ac
Local Park · 354 acPrivate Park · 260 acLocal Conservation Area · 120 acConservation Easement · 100 acPrivate Conservation · 78 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 98 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 154 | Restricted |
| Michael Mcgraw Park Local Park | Town or city | 135 | Open |
| Mainstem Grand River-Leonard Fase Trust 1 Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 120 | Open |
| Meadow Wood Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 106 | Restricted |
| Mainstem Grand River- Leonard Fase Trust 1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 78 | Open |
| Burton Park Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Cascade Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Shaggy Pines Dog Park Local Park | Private owners | 15 | Open |
| Tassell Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Cascade Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cascade Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Cascade Township
Cascade Hospital for Animals Dog ParkIn Cascade Township Park
DirectionsPlus 4 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Cascade Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Cascade Township
Fishing TerraceIn Leslie E. Tassell Park
DirectionsScenic views in Cascade Township
Dam Overlook
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.7 mi
Sarah and Mike Julien Hiking Trail2.5 mi
Main Trail1.7 mi
North Loop Trail0.4 mi
South Loop Trail0.4 mi
Lookout Trail0.4 mi
Middle South Trail0.3 mi
Middle North Trail0.2 mi
Grand River Drive Entrance Trail0.2 mi
Bolt Drive Entrance Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
18 mi
off-road bike paths
1.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Tennis
6Pickleball
5Baseball
5Soccer
3Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Cascade 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 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 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Cascade Township →
Next door
Cascade Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Forest Hills45 miAda Township31 miCascade Township23 miGrand Rapids Township23 miKentwood17 miCaledonia Township10 miLowell Township3.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Township | 4% | 0.7 | 26 | 38% | B |
| Ada Township | 10% | 0.9 | 129 | 32% | A− |
| Kentwood | 4% | 0.8 | 8 | 90% | B+ |
| Forest Hills | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Caledonia Township | 4% | 0.3 | 41 | 29% | B− |
| Lowell Township | 5% | 0.1 | 147 | 44% | B |
| Grand Rapids Township | 7% | 1.5 | 30 | 50% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cascade Township
Where can I hike in Cascade Township?
The longest trail networks: Cascade Peace Park, 4.2 miles; Cascade Burton Park, 2.9 miles; Cascade Township Park, 1.5 miles; Shaggy Pines Dog Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cascade 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 Cascade Township’s trails?
Cascade Peace Park and Cascade Burton Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cascade Township?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of off-road paths and 1.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Cascade Township?
19,676 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cascade Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 522 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cascade Township have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #361 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 Cascade 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 →