Lake Saint Clair Metropark
Managed by Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority
618 acres6.1 mi of trail
Point WalkwayMain TrailMarsh Roadside TrailEast Boardwalk+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Harrison Township
11% of Harrison Township’s land is conserved: 1,003 acres
876 acres are parks and preserves, 36 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Lake Saint Clair Metropark (6.1 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross Harrison Township, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #180 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,003 acres · of 14.2 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
876 ac
36 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
10 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 21 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Harrison Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harrison Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harrison Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #180 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Harrison Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land36 acres of park per 1,000 residents (876 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% 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 82%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 74%
Water is 40% of Harrison Township’s area (10 of 24 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Lake Saint Clair Metropark, with 6.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harley Ensign Memorial Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
19 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Clinton River Cut-Off Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Lake Saint Clair Metropark618 acres · 6.1 mi of trail · Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority
DirectionsHarley Ensign Memorial Boating Access Site19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsClinton River Cut-Off Boating Access Site9 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Top Four Park9 acres
DirectionsTucker Park9 acres
Selfridge Boating Access Site8 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHarrison Township Waterfront Park4 acres
Trombley Park3 acres
Who protects it
1,003 conserved acres
11% of Harrison Township’s land. Water is left out: Harrison Township has 14.2 square miles of land and 9.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Harrison Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city807 ac
Other state land98 ac
Private owners95 ac
Local Park · 807 acConservation Easement · 98 acPrivate Park · 95 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Beach Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 755 | Open |
| Gowanie Golf & Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 95 | Restricted |
| Land Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Tuckar Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Robert H. Steiner Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Waterfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Trombley Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
27 places to go in Harrison Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Harrison Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Harrison Township
USCG
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Harrison Township
Kayak/Canoe Launch
DirectionsKayak/Canoe Launch
DirectionsKayak/Canoe Launch
DirectionsMetro Beach Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 17 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
Point Walkway1.1 mi
Main Trail1.0 mi
Marsh Roadside Trail0.2 mi
East Boardwalk0.2 mi
Meadow Loop0.2 mi
Main Trail Shortcut0.2 mi
Point Rosa Boardwalk0.2 mi
West Boardwalk0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
Courts & fields
11Tennis
11Beach volleyball
8Baseball
5Basketball
3Pickleball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Harrison 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Harrison Township →
Next door
Harrison Township and its neighbors
Harrison Township has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Township | 11% | 0.8 | 36 | 65% | A− |
| Clinton Township | 5% | 0.3 | 4 | 44% | C+ |
| Mount Clemens | 3% | 5.2 | 8 | 99% | A− |
| Chesterfield Township | 6% | 0.1 | 16 | 51% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harrison Township
Where can I hike in Harrison Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Saint Clair Metropark, 6.1 miles; Harley Ensign Memorial Boating Access Site, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harrison 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 Harrison Township’s trails?
Lake Saint Clair Metropark and Harley Ensign Memorial Boating Access Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harrison Township?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harrison Township?
34,800 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harrison Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 877 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harrison Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #180 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 Harrison 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 →