Richard A. Padgett Natural Area
Managed by DeWitt Charter Township
64 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in DeWitt Township
DeWitt Township has 316 acres of parks, 21 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Richard A. Padgett Natural Area (1.9 mi), Granger Meadows Park (0.8 mi). 6% of DeWitt Township’s land is conserved, about 1,050 acres. 14 miles of mapped trail cross DeWitt Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #332 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,050 acres · of 28.1 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
316 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
6.9 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does DeWitt Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, DeWitt Township is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #332 of 701 in Michigan. 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 DeWitt Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (316 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks close to home57% 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 65%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 53%
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 Richard A. Padgett Natural Area, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Waters Edge Park
Managed by DeWitt Charter Township
17 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Richard A. Padgett Natural Area64 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · DeWitt Charter Township
DirectionsGranger Meadows Park83 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWaters Edge Park17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · DeWitt Charter Township
DirectionsSpringbrook Hills Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Valley Farm Park10 acres
DirectionsWood Road Nature Area9 acres · DeWitt Charter Township
Looking Glass River Park6 acres · DeWitt Charter Township
DirectionsValley-Turner Park3 acres
DirectionsMcGuire Park1 acres · City of DeWitt
DirectionsColeman Road Playlot1 acres
Who protects it
1,050 conserved acres
6% of DeWitt Township’s land. Who manages DeWitt Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land794 ac
State Department of Land774 ac
Town or city170 ac
County62 ac
Private owners23 ac
Unknown · 774 acAgricultural Easement · 773 acLocal Other or Unknown · 121 acLocal Recreation Area · 86 acLocal Park · 24 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeeb Unknown | State Department of Land | 774 | Open |
| Kramer Ruthruff Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 121 | Open |
| Padgett Park Local Recreation Area | County | 62 | Open |
| St. Francis Retreat Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Dewitt Golf Center Private Park | Private owners | 21 | Restricted |
| Valley Farm Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Looking Glass Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Valley Turner Playlot Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Prairie Creek Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 2 | Restricted |
| Coleman Road Playlot Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
21 places to go in DeWitt Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in DeWitt Township
Springbrook Hills PlaygroundIn Springbrook Hills Park
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in DeWitt Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in DeWitt Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in DeWitt Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
7Soccer
6Basketball
5Beach volleyball
4Pickleball
3Tennis
2Equestrian
1Disc golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in DeWitt Township: July and 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in DeWitt Township →
Next door
DeWitt Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lansing38 miEast Lansing31 miDeWitt Township14 miBath Township14 miWatertown Township5.9 miLansing Township2.9 miOlive Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeWitt Township | 6% | 0.5 | 21 | 57% | B+ |
| East Lansing | 10% | 2.3 | 12 | 98% | A |
| Lansing | 8% | 1.0 | 19 | 98% | A |
| Olive Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 83 | 5% | C |
| Bath Township | 19% | 0.4 | 256 | 70% | A |
| Lansing Township | 6% | 0.6 | 14 | 98% | A− |
| Watertown Township | 1% | 0.2 | 27 | 32% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in DeWitt Township
Where can I hike in DeWitt Township?
The longest trail networks: Richard A. Padgett Natural Area, 1.9 miles; Granger Meadows Park, 0.8 miles; Waters Edge Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of DeWitt 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 DeWitt Township’s trails?
Richard A. Padgett Natural Area and Granger Meadows Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in DeWitt Township?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.9 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near DeWitt Township?
16,677 acres of parks and open public land lie inside DeWitt Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 316 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does DeWitt Township have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #332 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 DeWitt 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 →