Crandell Park
Park
424 acres3.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Eaton Township
Eaton Township has 472 acres of parks, 118 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Crandell Park (3.1 mi). 12% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.4 miles of mapped trail cross Eaton Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns · #535 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
279 acres · of 32.0 sq mi of land
Trails
4.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
472 ac
118 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
12%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.1 mi
1.0 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Eaton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Eaton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Eaton Township is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns, #535 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Eaton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land118 acres of park per 1,000 residents (472 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home12% 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 38%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 24%
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
The longest trail network is Crandell Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Charlotte State Game Area
Managed by Michigan DNR
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
279 conserved acres
1% of Eaton Township’s land. Who manages Eaton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners194 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)40 ac
State fish & wildlife38 ac
County6 ac
Private Park · 194 acConservation Easement · 40 acState Conservation Area · 38 acLocal Recreation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Brook Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 194 | Restricted |
| Charlotte State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 38 | Open |
| Eaton Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 6 | Restricted |
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
When to get out
The best walking months in Eaton 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 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Eaton Township →
Next door
Eaton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Charlotte12 miBenton Township6.4 miEaton Township4.4 miEaton Rapids Township1.4 miWalton Township1.0 miBrookfield Township0.4 miCarmel Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Township | 1% | 0.1 | 118 | 12% | C+ |
| Charlotte | 10% | 1.9 | 23 | 86% | A |
| Carmel Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 5% | D |
| Eaton Rapids Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 3 | 9% | D |
| Benton Township | 2% | 0.2 | 216 | 21% | B− |
| Brookfield Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 2 | 2% | D |
| Walton Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Eaton Township
Where can I hike in Eaton Township?
The longest trail networks: Crandell Park, 3.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Eaton Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Eaton Township’s trails?
Crandell Park and Charlotte State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Eaton Township?
9.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes and 8.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Eaton Township?
4,386 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Eaton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 472 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Eaton Township have?
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #535 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 Eaton 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 →