Island Lake State Recreation Area
Park
3,861 acres63.7 mi of trail
Blue TrailYellow TrailHickory Ridge TrailPurple Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Green Oak Township
Green Oak Township has 105 miles of mapped trails, 3.1 for every square mile of land
29% of Green Oak Township’s land is conserved, about 6,242 acres. 5,786 acres are parks and preserves, 293 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Island Lake State Recreation Area (63.7 mi), Huron Meadows Metropark (19.1 mi), Coleman Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #28 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
6,242 acres · of 34.2 sq mi of land
Trails
105 mi
3.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,786 ac
293 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
10 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
26
13 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Green Oak Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Green Oak Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Green Oak Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #28 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Green Oak Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (105 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land293 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,786 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home53% 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 95%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 96%
Water is 7% of Green Oak Township’s area (3 of 37 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 27%.
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 Island Lake State Recreation Area, with 63.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Huron Meadows Metropark
Park
1,547 acres19.1 mi of trail
Maltby VistaMoraine FenCedar TraceBeech Alley+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Whitmore Lake Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Island Lake State Recreation Area3,861 acres · 63.7 mi of trail
DirectionsHuron Meadows Metropark1,547 acres · 19.1 mi of trail
DirectionsColeman Park11 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWhitmore Lake Boating Access Site8 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsKensington Metropark2 acres
Who protects it
6,242 conserved acres
29% of Green Oak Township’s land. Water is left out: Green Oak Township has 34.2 square miles of land and 2.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Green Oak Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,883 ac
Town or city1,602 ac
Private owners548 ac
County122 ac
Other state land48 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits43 ac
State Recreation Area · 3,883 acLocal Park · 1,302 acPrivate Park · 512 acLocal Recreation Area · 300 acLocal Resource Management Area · 122 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Island Lake Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3,883 | Open |
| Huron Meadows Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 1,240 | Open |
| Moose Ridge Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 465 | Restricted |
| Huron Meadows Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 298 | Restricted |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 122 | Open |
| Whitmore Lake Rod and Gun Club Private Park | Private owners | 47 | Open |
| Nichwaugh Lake Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 43 | Restricted |
| Township of Green Oak Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Land Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Sokol Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 21 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in Green Oak Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Green Oak Township
Orchard - View Colony Beach
DirectionsPlus 12 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Green Oak Township
13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Green Oak Township
Whitmore Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Green Oak Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Green Oak Township
Huron River SiteIn Island Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlaceway Bridge Picnic AreaIn Island Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Green Oak Township
Island Lake-Canoe CampgroundIn Island Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsOrganization CampgroundIn Island Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
21 named trails and 26 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 54.2 miUnpaved · 17.3 mi
Blue Trail8.7 mi
Yellow Trail5.4 mi
Hickory Ridge Trail3.7 mi
Purple Trail3.2 mi
Maltby Vista1.6 mi
Cedar Trace1.6 mi
Moraine Fen1.5 mi
Beech Alley1.3 mi
Bucks Run1.1 mi
Coyote Run1.0 mi
11 more trails
Reynold's Wrap
1.0 miHidden Lake Bend
0.7 miBeech Alley - Moraine Fen
0.7 miOak Hills
0.7 miGrand Trunk Western
0.7 miLantern Hike Trail
0.5 miJCPenney Connector
0.5 miYellow & Blue Trail
0.4 miX-Country Race Course
0.3 miState Park Headquarters
0.2 miCedar Trace-Maltby Vista
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Briggs LakelakeCygnet PondpondDibrova LakeDollar LakelakeFish LakelakeFonda LakelakeFrog LakelakeGreen Oak LakelakeHidden LakelakeHuron Meadow Metropark PondpondIsland LakelakeLimekiln LakelakeLyon LakelakeMallard LakelakeMaltby LakeMonahan LakeNichwagh LakelakeSandy Bottom LakelakeSilver Fox LakelakeSpring Mill PondTen Mile LakelakeTrout LakelakeVagilldicock PondpondViking LakelakeHuron RiverYerkes Drain
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
off-road bike paths
Blue LoopBike route
9.1 miYellow LoopBike route
5.8 miOrange LoopBike route
4.5 miOther TrailsBike route
3.9 miPurple LoopBike route
3.2 miCourts & fields
17Baseball
15Soccer
8Volleyball
8Tennis
4Beach volleyball
3Basketball
1Football
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 Green Oak Township: July 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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Green Oak Township →
Next door
Green Oak Township and its neighbors
Green Oak Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Green Oak Township105 miHamburg Township90 miLyon Township46 miBrighton Township16 miNorthfield Township8.0 miSouth Lyon6.5 miBrighton1.2 miWhitmore Lake0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Oak Township | 29% | 3.1 | 293 | 53% | A |
| Hamburg Township | 29% | 2.8 | 222 | 54% | A |
| Brighton Township | 6% | 0.5 | 33 | 27% | B |
| Brighton | 1% | 0.3 | 3 | 62% | C |
| Lyon Township | 11% | 1.5 | 58 | 55% | A |
| South Lyon | 7% | 1.7 | 19 | 96% | A |
| Northfield Township | 7% | 0.2 | 14 | 29% | B− |
| Whitmore Lake | — 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 Green Oak Township
Where can I hike in Green Oak Township?
The longest trail networks: Island Lake State Recreation Area, 63.7 miles; Huron Meadows Metropark, 19.1 miles; Coleman Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Green Oak Township is conserved land?
29% 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 Green Oak Township’s trails?
Island Lake State Recreation Area and Huron Meadows Metropark don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Green Oak Township?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of off-road paths. Named routes: Blue Loop, Yellow Loop and Orange Loop.
Is there public land near Green Oak Township?
41,421 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Green Oak Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,786 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Green Oak Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 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 Green Oak 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 →