Dauner Martin Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
152 acres4.2 mi of trail
Blue TrailYellow TrailGreen TrailLavender West Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Fenton
Fenton has 6.2 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Dauner Martin Nature Sanctuary (4.2 mi), Silver Lake Park (0.9 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 325 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #133 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
322 acres · of 6.7 sq mi of land
Trails
6.2 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
325 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,033 ft
Genesee County High Point
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Fenton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fenton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fenton is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #133 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fenton’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (325 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home89% 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 86%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 81%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Dauner Martin Nature Sanctuary, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Silver Lake Park
Managed by City of Fenton
35 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bush Park
Managed by City of Fenton
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Rackham Park
Managed by City of Fenton
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Dauner Martin Nature Sanctuary152 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Michigan Nature Association
DirectionsSilver Lake Park35 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · City of Fenton
DirectionsBush Park18 acres · City of Fenton
DirectionsRackham Park3 acres · City of Fenton
DirectionsConklin Park2 acres · City of Fenton
Fenton Mill Pond Park1 acres
DirectionsFranklin Adams Park1 acres · City of Fenton
Fenton Community Gardens1 acres
DirectionsFreedom Park1 acres · City of Fenton
Who protects it
322 conserved acres
8% of Fenton’s land. Who manages Fenton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits152 ac
Town or city102 ac
Other state land68 ac
Private Conservation · 152 acLocal Park · 102 acState Conservation Area · 46 acConservation Easement · 22 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauner Martin Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 152 | Open |
| City of Fenton Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Forest Reserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 46 | Open |
| Silver Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Bush Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Township of Fenton Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Rackham Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Millpond Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Conklin Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Oak Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in Fenton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fenton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Fenton
39 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Fenton
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Fenton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fenton
Genesee County High Point1,033 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Fenton
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Blue Trail1.7 mi
Yellow Trail0.9 mi
Green Trail0.8 mi
Lavender West Trail0.5 mi
Green Trail / Yellow Trail0.1 mi
Blue Trail / Lavender West Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
21Baseball
12Tennis
8Basketball
3Beach volleyball
2Soccer
2Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Vermont House and Fenton Grain ElevatorDistrict · listed 1980
About itBenjamin Bangs HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itChurch, Volney-Carlos B. Shotwell HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itCol. J. Hinckley HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itDavid B. Colwell HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itDibbleville-Fentonville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itEdwin Trump HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itH.N. Jennings HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itFenton Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Fenton: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Fenton →
Next door
Fenton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenton | 8% | 0.9 | 27 | 89% | A |
| Fenton Township | 4% | 0.3 | 30 | 46% | B |
| Holly Township | 10% | 1.4 | 172 | 52% | A |
| Tyrone Township | 7% | 0.1 | 26 | 22% | C+ |
| Lake Fenton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fenton
Where can I hike in Fenton?
The longest trail networks: Dauner Martin Nature Sanctuary, 4.2 miles; Silver Lake Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fenton 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 Fenton’s trails?
Dauner Martin Nature Sanctuary and Silver Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fenton?
13,304 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fenton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 325 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fenton have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #133 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 Fenton 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 →