Silver Lake State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,599 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: AaronJoePick · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Golden Township
Golden Township has 4,373 acres of parks, 2,562 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Golden Township’s land is conserved, about 4,348 acres. The biggest trail networks: Silver Lake State Park (2.2 mi), Pentwater State Game Area (1.3 mi). 15 miles of mapped trail cross Golden Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,348 acres · of 33.5 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,373 ac
2,562 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 4.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
9 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Golden Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Golden Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Golden Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Golden Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land2,562 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,373 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home70% 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 90%
LessMore
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 Silver Lake State Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pentwater State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
707 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
West Michigan Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
36 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Golden Township Park at Silver Lake Sand Dunes
Managed by Golden Township
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Silver Lake State Park2,599 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPentwater State Game Area707 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
West Michigan Underwater Preserve36 acres
Golden Township Park at Silver Lake Sand Dunes6 acres · Golden Township
DirectionsCedar Point Park2 acres · Oceana County
Johnson Square Park1 acres · Golden Township
Golden Township Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,348 conserved acres
20% of Golden Township’s land. Who manages Golden Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks2,602 ac
State natural resources767 ac
State fish & wildlife696 ac
Town or city256 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits26 ac
State Park · 2,618 acState Recreation Area · 751 acState Conservation Area · 696 acLocal Conservation Area · 217 acLocal Recreation Area · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 2,618 | Open |
| Hart-Montague Bicycle Trail Park State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 751 | Open |
| Pentwater River State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 696 | Open |
| Grace Youth Camp Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 217 | Open |
| Grace Youth Camp Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Round Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
26 places to go in Golden Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Golden Township
Dunes Waterfront Beach
DirectionsPlus 8 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Golden Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Golden Township
Upper Silver Lake Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Golden Township
Sunset HillIn Silver Lake State Park
DirectionsTest HillIn Silver Lake State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Golden Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Golden Township
Dunes Harbor Family CampGrace Adventures
DirectionsHideaway Campground
DirectionsSilver Lake State Park CampgroundIn Silver Lake State Park · Michigan DNR
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
5.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Basketball
4Beach volleyball
3Pickleball
3Equestrian
2Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Golden 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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 42 | 54 | 66 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Golden Township →
Next door
Golden Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benona Township21 miPentwater Township19 miGolden Township15 miShelby Township15 miHart Township6.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Township | 20% | 0.5 | 2,562 | 70% | A |
| Hart Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Benona Township | 6% | 0.5 | 683 | 31% | B+ |
| Pentwater Township | 20% | 1.4 | 1,129 | 77% | A+ |
| Shelby Township | 9% | 0.4 | 350 | 72% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Golden Township
Where can I hike in Golden Township?
The longest trail networks: Silver Lake State Park, 2.2 miles; Pentwater State Game Area, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Golden Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Golden Township’s trails?
Silver Lake State Park and Pentwater State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Golden Township?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 4.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Golden Township?
14,306 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Golden Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,373 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Golden Township have?
Ahead of 90% 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 Golden 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 →