Waterloo State Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,260 acres14.8 mi of trail
Waterloo-Pinckney Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Grass Lake Township
Grass Lake Township has 3,045 acres of parks, 493 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Grass Lake Township’s land is conserved, about 3,248 acres. The biggest trail networks: Waterloo State Recreation Area (14.8 mi), Sharonville State Game Area (0.5 mi). 24 miles of mapped trail cross Grass Lake Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #201 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,248 acres · of 46.5 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,045 ac
493 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,109 ft
Sackrider Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Grass Lake Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Grass Lake Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grass Lake Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #201 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Grass Lake Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land493 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,045 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home43% 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 79%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 71%
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 Waterloo State Recreation Area, with 14.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sharonville State Game Area
Nature preserve
1,103 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Grass Lake Sports and Trails Park
Managed by Jackson County MI
14 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Waterloo State Recreation Area1,260 acres · 14.8 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSharonville State Game Area1,103 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Grass Lake Sports and Trails Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Jackson County MI
Grass Lake State Game Area121 acres
DirectionsGrass Lake Park10 acres · Jackson County
DirectionsWho protects it
3,248 conserved acres
11% of Grass Lake Township’s land. Who manages Grass Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,270 ac
State fish & wildlife1,222 ac
Private owners438 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service319 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits153 ac
County5 ac
State Recreation Area · 1,270 acState Conservation Area · 1,222 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 507 acResource Management Area · 319 acPrivate Park · 43 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 1,270 | Open |
| Sharonville State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,090 | Open |
| G.W. Carver Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 191 | Open |
| Jackson County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 160 | Restricted |
| Jackson County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mi Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 159 | Restricted |
| Grass Lake State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 131 | Open |
| Fa-Ho-Lo Park/Assemblies of God Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 127 | Open |
| Camp Teetonkah Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 112 | Open |
| Four Seasons Campground Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 77 | Open |
| Swanee's Twin Knolls Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 43 | Restricted |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Grass Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Grass Lake Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Grass Lake Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Grass Lake Township
Grass Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Grass Lake Township
Sackrider Hill1,109 ft elevation · In Waterloo State Recreation Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Grass Lake Township
Plus 4 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 11.9 miUnpaved · 14.1 mi
Waterloo-Pinckney Trail2.0 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
9Baseball
6Basketball
4Soccer
2Football
2Tennis
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Grass Lake 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Grass Lake Township →
Next door
Grass Lake Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Waterloo Township55 miSylvan Township27 miGrass Lake Township24 miSharon Township17 miNorvell Township9.5 miLeoni Township7.2 miNapoleon Township1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Lake Township | 11% | 0.5 | 493 | 43% | A− |
| Waterloo Township | 20% | 1.1 | 2,036 | 70% | A |
| Sharon Township | 8% | 0.5 | 1,023 | 33% | B+ |
| Leoni Township | 11% | 0.1 | 162 | 34% | B |
| Napoleon Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 49 | 31% | B− |
| Norvell Township | 14% | 0.3 | 1,172 | 35% | A− |
| Sylvan Township | 15% | 0.8 | 843 | 52% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grass Lake Township
Where can I hike in Grass Lake Township?
The longest trail networks: Waterloo State Recreation Area, 14.8 miles; Sharonville State Game Area, 0.5 miles; Grass Lake Sports and Trails Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grass Lake Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Grass Lake Township’s trails?
Waterloo State Recreation Area and Sharonville State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Grass Lake Township?
36,683 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grass Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,045 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Grass Lake Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #201 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 Grass Lake 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 →