Flat River State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
5,073 acres9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fairplain Township
Fairplain Township has 4,862 acres of parks, 2,564 for every 1,000 residents
22% of Fairplain Township’s land is conserved, about 4,960 acres. The biggest trail networks: Flat River State Game Area (9 mi). 25% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
4,960 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,862 ac
2,564 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Fairplain Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fairplain Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fairplain Township is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fairplain Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land2,564 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,862 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home25% 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 75%
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 Flat River State Game Area, with 9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Greenville Roadside Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Transportation
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,960 conserved acres
22% of Fairplain Township’s land. Who manages Fairplain Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife4,819 ac
Private owners141 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,819 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 141 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat River State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 4,819 | Open |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 141 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Fairplain Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Fairplain Township
Grass Lake Boat LaunchIn Flat River State Game Area
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Fairplain 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Fairplain Township →
Next door
Fairplain Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sidney Township13 miEureka Township12 miFairplain Township10 miMontcalm Township1.9 miOrleans Township1.8 miBushnell Township1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairplain Township | 22% | 0.3 | 2,564 | 25% | A− |
| Sidney Township | 8% | 0.4 | 667 | 37% | B+ |
| Eureka Township | 23% | 0.4 | 961 | 46% | A− |
| Orleans Township | 6% | 0.1 | 542 | 39% | B |
| Bushnell Township | 1% | 0.1 | 31 | 10% | C |
| Montcalm Township | 4% | 0.1 | 186 | 31% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fairplain Township
Where can I hike in Fairplain Township?
The longest trail networks: Flat River State Game Area, 9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fairplain Township is conserved land?
22% 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 Fairplain Township’s trails?
Flat River State Game Area and Greenville Roadside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fairplain Township?
21,075 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fairplain Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,862 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fairplain Township have?
Ahead of 75% 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 Fairplain 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 →