Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
1,273 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Covert Township
Covert Township has 1,715 acres of parks, 685 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve (1.6 mi), Barvicks Sand Dune Nature Sanctuary (0.8 mi). 8% of Covert Township’s land is conserved, about 1,760 acres. 31% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,760 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
7.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,715 ac
685 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
5.8 mi paths
Highest peak
699 ft
Thunder Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Covert Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Covert Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Covert Township is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns. 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 Covert Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land685 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,715 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home31% 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 65%
LessMore
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 Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Barvicks Sand Dune Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
35 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Van Buren State Park
Park
66 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dunes Parkway Preserve
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
62 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve1,273 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsBarvicks Sand Dune Nature Sanctuary35 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Michigan Nature Association
DirectionsVan Buren State Park66 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCovert Park44 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Covert Township
Covert Community Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Covert Township
DirectionsDunes Parkway Preserve62 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Wintergreen Woods26 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Winterberry Woods14 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve1 acres
Who protects it
1,760 conserved acres
8% of Covert Township’s land. Who manages Covert Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,608 ac
State natural resources72 ac
Town or city38 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service28 ac
Other state land13 ac
Private Conservation · 1,608 acState Park · 72 acConservation Easement · 41 acLocal Park · 38 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 41 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,425 | Open |
| Dunes Parkway Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 101 | Unknown |
| Van Buren State Park State Park | State natural resources | 72 | Open |
| Barvicks Sand Dunes Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Open |
| Covert Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Wintergreen Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 28 | Open |
| Winterberry Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Covert Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Covert Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Covert Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Peaks in Covert Township
Thunder Mountain699 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Covert Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Covert Township
Covert Park Beach and CampgroundIn Covert Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
Fire Drive 70.3 mi
Fire Lane 10.3 mi
Fire Lane 40.2 mi
Ballou Walk0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
2Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Covert 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 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Covert Township →
Next door
Covert Township and its neighbors
Covert Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Covert Township7.3 miHagar Township5.9 miBangor Township3.9 miSouth Haven Township3.2 miColoma Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covert Township | 8% | 0.2 | 685 | 31% | B |
| Coloma Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 14 | 43% | C− |
| South Haven Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bangor Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hagar Township | 4% | 0.3 | 99 | 36% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Covert Township
Where can I hike in Covert Township?
The longest trail networks: Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve, 1.6 miles; Barvicks Sand Dune Nature Sanctuary, 0.8 miles; Van Buren State Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Covert Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Covert Township’s trails?
Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve and Barvicks Sand Dune Nature Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Covert Township?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Covert Township?
4,738 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Covert Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,715 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Covert Township have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Covert 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 →