Deford State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
5,264 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ellington Township
Ellington Township has 5,485 acres of parks, 4,786 for every 1,000 residents
24% of Ellington Township’s land is conserved, about 5,513 acres. The biggest trail networks: Deford State Game Area (2.6 mi). 3.1 miles of mapped trail cross Ellington Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
5,513 acres · of 35.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,485 ac
4,786 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Ellington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ellington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ellington Township is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ellington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land4,786 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,485 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks 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 76%
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 Deford State Game Area, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
5,513 conserved acres
24% of Ellington Township’s land. Who manages Ellington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife5,369 ac
Private owners78 ac
County65 ac
State Conservation Area · 5,369 acLocal Other or Unknown · 65 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 41 acPrivate Park · 37 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deford State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 5,369 | Open |
| Gravel Pit Local Other or Unknown | County | 65 | Closed |
| Camping Nomads Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 41 | Open |
| Oak Valley Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 37 | Open |
When to get out
The best walking months in Ellington 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Ellington Township →
Next door
Ellington Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Novesta Township12 miWells Township4.9 miEllington Township3.1 miAlmer Township1.5 miElmwood Township1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellington Township | 24% | 0.1 | 4,786 | 57% | A− |
| Almer Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 126 | 36% | C+ |
| Wells Township | 15% | 0.1 | 1,898 | 23% | B+ |
| Novesta Township | 8% | 0.3 | 1,267 | 29% | B+ |
| Elmwood Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 364 | 39% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ellington Township
Where can I hike in Ellington Township?
The longest trail networks: Deford State Game Area, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ellington Township is conserved land?
24% 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 Ellington Township’s trails?
Deford State Game Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ellington Township?
26,543 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ellington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,485 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ellington Township have?
Ahead of 76% 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 Ellington 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 →