Vestaburg State Game Area
Managed by Michigan DNR Wildlife Division
1,871 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Ferris Township
Ferris Township has 1,868 acres of parks, 1,308 for every 1,000 residents
9% of Ferris Township’s land is conserved, about 2,162 acres. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.2 miles of mapped trail cross Ferris Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,162 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
3.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,868 ac
1,308 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Ferris Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ferris Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ferris Township is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. 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 Ferris Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land1,308 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,868 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home21% 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 58%
LessMore
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 Vestaburg State Game Area, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,162 conserved acres
9% of Ferris Township’s land. Who manages Ferris Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,863 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)133 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service126 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits40 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,863 acConservation Easement · 260 acOther Easement · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 299 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vestaburg State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,863 | Open |
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Ferris 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
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 Ferris Township →
Next door
Ferris Township and its neighbors
Ferris Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferris Township | 9% | 0.1 | 1,308 | 21% | B |
| Day Township | 1% | 0.1 | 189 | 29% | C+ |
| Sumner Township | 1% | 0.1 | 125 | 35% | C+ |
| Richland Township | 12% | 0.1 | 916 | 52% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ferris Township
Where can I hike in Ferris Township?
The longest trail networks: Vestaburg State Game Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ferris Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Ferris Township’s trails?
Vestaburg State Game Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ferris Township?
12,715 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ferris Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,868 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ferris Township have?
Ahead of 58% 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 Ferris 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 →