Duck Creek Natural Area
Managed by Fruitland Township
308 acres7.1 mi of trail
Blue TrailRed LoopOrange ConnectorOrange Ridge Connector+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fruitland Township
Fruitland Township has 1,509 acres of parks, 257 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Duck Creek Natural Area (7.1 mi), Duck Lake State Park (5.2 mi), Anderson Woods Nature Preserve (1.8 mi). 19 miles of mapped trail cross Fruitland Township, 0.5 per square mile of land. 5% of Fruitland Township’s land is conserved, about 1,265 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #292 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,265 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,509 ac
257 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
3.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fruitland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fruitland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fruitland Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #292 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Fruitland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land257 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,509 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home35% 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 70%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 58%
Water is 5% of Fruitland Township’s area (2 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Duck Creek Natural Area, with 7.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Duck Lake State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
734 acres5.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Anderson Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by Land Conservancy of West Michigan
74 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
MCD Hunting Parcel 5
Managed by Muskegon Conservation District
74 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Duck Creek Natural Area308 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · Fruitland Township
DirectionsDuck Lake State Park734 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsAnderson Woods Nature Preserve74 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Land Conservancy of West Michigan
DirectionsMCD Hunting Parcel 574 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Muskegon Conservation District
Nestrom Road Park34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fruitland Township
DirectionsMcMillian Road Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fruitland Township
DirectionsMCD Hunting Parcel 638 acres · Muskegon Conservation District
MCD Hunting Parcel 421 acres · Muskegon Conservation District
West Michigan Underwater Preserve20 acres
DirectionsMCD Hunting Parcel 719 acres · Muskegon Conservation District
Dalton Equestrian Park2 acres · Dalton Township
Lighthouse Park1 acres · Fruitland Township
DirectionsMarcus Park1 acres · Fruitland Township
Who protects it
1,265 conserved acres
5% of Fruitland Township’s land. Water is left out: Fruitland Township has 36.3 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fruitland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources750 ac
Private owners396 ac
Town or city51 ac
State parks44 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits25 ac
Other state land1 ac
State Park · 752 acPrivate Park · 396 acLocal Park · 51 acState Conservation Area · 41 acConservation Easement · 26 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duck Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 752 | Open |
| Lincoln Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 138 | Restricted |
| White Lake Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 101 | Restricted |
| Seaway Trap Club Private Park | Private owners | 79 | Open |
| Bent Pine Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 78 | Restricted |
| Fruitland Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel 15 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 41 | Restricted |
Things to do
15 places to go in Fruitland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fruitland Township
Duck Lake State Park BeachIn Duck Lake State Park
DirectionsSylvan Beach Kids Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Fruitland Township
Playgrounds in Fruitland Township
Beagle Scout Acres
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Fruitland Township
Duck Lake State Park Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic Road Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Fruitland Township
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.2 mi
Blue Trail2.6 mi
Red Loop0.8 mi
Orange Connector0.8 mi
Orange Ridge Connector0.8 mi
Yellow Link0.4 mi
Red Connector0.3 mi
Teal Connector0.1 mi
Yellow Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Tennis
3Basketball
1Baseball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fruitland 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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 43 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Fruitland Township →
Next door
Fruitland Township and its neighbors
Fruitland Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Laketon Township25 miFruitland Township19 miDalton Township13 miMontague Township9.3 miWhitehall2.5 miWhite River Township1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruitland Township | 5% | 0.5 | 257 | 35% | B+ |
| White River Township | 2% | 0.1 | 87 | 12% | C+ |
| Montague Township | 4% | 0.5 | 511 | 45% | B+ |
| Dalton Township | 3% | 0.4 | 105 | 57% | B |
| Whitehall | 5% | 0.8 | 29 | 94% | A− |
| Laketon Township | 4% | 1.4 | 185 | 47% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fruitland Township
Where can I hike in Fruitland Township?
The longest trail networks: Duck Creek Natural Area, 7.1 miles; Duck Lake State Park, 5.2 miles; Anderson Woods Nature Preserve, 1.8 miles; MCD Hunting Parcel 5, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fruitland Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Fruitland Township’s trails?
Duck Creek Natural Area and Duck Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fruitland Township?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fruitland Township?
37,146 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fruitland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,509 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fruitland Township have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #292 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 Fruitland 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 →