Thornapple Lake Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
62 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Castleton Township
Castleton Township has 139 acres of parks, 41 for every 1,000 residents
3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Castleton Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 2% of Castleton Township’s land is conserved, about 362 acres. 55% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns · #495 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
362 acres · of 35.0 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
139 ac
41 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
2.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Castleton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Castleton Township is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns, #495 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Castleton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land41 acres of park per 1,000 residents (139 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home55% 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 43%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 29%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gertrude McPharlin Bauer Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Thornapple Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
362 conserved acres
2% of Castleton Township’s land. Who manages Castleton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners138 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits98 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)91 ac
Town or city35 ac
Private Park · 138 acPrivate Conservation · 98 acConservation Easement · 91 acLocal Park · 35 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 91 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulberry fore Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 138 | Restricted |
| Thornapple Lake Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 78 | Open |
| Old Town Field Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Gertrude McPharlin Bauer Nature Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Open |
| Putnam Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Castleton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Castleton Township
Thornapple Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.8 miUnpaved · 2.8 mi
Paul Henry - Thornapple Trail2.8 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Paul Henry - Thornapple TrailBike route
2.8 miCourts & fields
3Pickleball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Castleton 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Castleton Township →
Next door
Castleton Township and its neighbors
Castleton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hastings Township6.3 miCastleton Township3.0 miVermontville Township2.9 miWoodland Township2.2 miNashville1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton Township | 2% | 0.1 | 41 | 55% | C+ |
| Hastings Township | 2% | 0.2 | 125 | 18% | B− |
| Woodland Township | 1% | 0.1 | 9 | 25% | C− |
| Vermontville Township | 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 36% | C− |
| Nashville | 8% | 0.7 | 24 | 79% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Castleton Township
How much of Castleton Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Castleton Township’s trails?
Thornapple Lake Nature Sanctuary and Gertrude McPharlin Bauer Nature Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Castleton Township?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of off-road paths. Named routes: Paul Henry - Thornapple Trail.
Is there public land near Castleton Township?
3,458 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Castleton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 139 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Castleton Township have?
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #495 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 Castleton 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 →