Highland State Recreation Area
Park
4,175 acres61.6 mi of trail
Loop BWest LoopLoop DLoop A+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rowe House · Photo: Traveler100 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Highland Township
Highland Township has 75 miles of mapped trails, 2.2 for every square mile of land
4,393 acres are parks and preserves, 223 per 1,000 residents. 20% of Highland Township’s land is conserved, about 4,428 acres. The biggest trail networks: Highland State Recreation Area (61.6 mi), Highland Oaks County Park (2.7 mi), Duck Lake Pines Park (1.7 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #80 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,428 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
75 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,393 ac
223 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
5.8 mi paths
Highest peak
1,152 ft
Mount Kanzer
Lakes & rivers
24
8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Highland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Highland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Highland Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #80 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 Highland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (75 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land223 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,393 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home36% 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 90%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 89%
Water is 6% of Highland Township’s area (2 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 19%.
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 Highland State Recreation Area, with 61.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Highland Oaks County Park
Park
295 acres2.7 mi of trail
Hye-Way LoopBlack Oak Barren TrailSpring Lake TrailParker Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Downey Lake Park
Park
26 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Downey Lake Pines Park
Park
24 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Highland State Recreation Area4,175 acres · 61.6 mi of trail
DirectionsHighland Oaks County Park295 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDuck Lake Pines Park41 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsHickory Ridge Pines104 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsDowney Lake Park26 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Downey Lake Pines Park24 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
White Lake Access1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,428 conserved acres
20% of Highland Township’s land. Water is left out: Highland Township has 34.1 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Highland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,870 ac
Private owners469 ac
Town or city89 ac
State Recreation Area · 3,870 acPrivate Park · 469 acLocal Park · 89 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3,868 | Open |
| Prestwick Village C.C. Private Park | Private owners | 348 | Restricted |
| Highland Hills Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 121 | Restricted |
| Highland Township Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| White Lake Access State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Highland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Highland Township
Wiggles and Giggles Daycare
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Highland Township
Lower Pettibone Boat LaunchIn Highland State Recreation Area
DirectionsMoore Lake Boat LaunchIn Highland State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Highland Township
Mount Kanzer1,152 ft elevation · In Highland State Recreation Area
DirectionsMount Omich1,138 ft elevation · In Highland State Recreation Area
DirectionsHaven Hill1,060 ft elevation · In Highland State Recreation Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Highland Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
21 named trails and 24 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 31.4 miHorses · 12.5 miUnpaved · 13.7 mi
Loop B5.9 mi
West Loop4.5 mi
Loop D3.8 mi
Loop A3.4 mi
Loop C2.5 mi
North Loop2.1 mi
Milford Connector1.3 mi
Upper West Loop0.9 mi
Tunnel Trail0.8 mi
Hye-Way Loop0.7 mi
11 more trails
Black Oak Barren Trail
0.7 miMount Kanzer Trail
0.6 miSpring Lake Trail
0.4 miParker Trail
0.2 miEmergency Out-Trail
0.2 miBeaumont Road Connector
0.1 miEntrance Trail
0.1 miGreen
0.1 miReid Connector Trail
0.1 miParkway Court
0.1 miA-D Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Alderman LakelakeBass LakelakeCharlick LakelakeDowney LakelakeDuck LakelakeDunham LakeGourd LakepondGrass LakelakeHarvey LakelakeHickory Ridge LakeHighland LakelakeKellogg LakeKnoblock LakelakeLeonard LakelakeLower Pettibone LakeMurray LakePeninsula LakePickerel LakelakeRowe LakeTaggett LakeTomahawk LakelakeUpper Pettibone LakeWaterbury LakelakeWoodruff Lake
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.
5.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Loop BBike route
5.9 miLoop DBike route
3.8 miLoop ABike route
3.4 miLoop CBike route
2.5 miNorth LoopBike route
2.1 miMilford ConnectorBike route
1.3 miConnectorsBike route
0.4 miCourts & fields
13Baseball
12Tennis
7Soccer
2Basketball
2Pickleball
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Highland 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) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Highland Township →
Next door
Highland Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Milford Township101 miWhite Lake Township78 miHighland Township75 miHartland Township24 miRose Township12 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Township | 20% | 2.2 | 223 | 36% | A |
| Hartland Township | 3% | 0.7 | 19 | 16% | B− |
| Milford Township | 26% | 3.1 | 323 | 68% | A+ |
| Rose Township | 8% | 0.3 | 262 | 53% | B+ |
| White Lake Township | 28% | 2.3 | 150 | 61% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Highland Township
Where can I hike in Highland Township?
The longest trail networks: Highland State Recreation Area, 61.6 miles; Highland Oaks County Park, 2.7 miles; Duck Lake Pines Park, 1.7 miles; Hickory Ridge Pines, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Highland 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 Highland Township’s trails?
Highland State Recreation Area and Highland Oaks County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Highland Township?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of off-road paths. Named routes: Loop B, Loop D and Loop A.
Is there public land near Highland Township?
38,329 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Highland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,393 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Highland Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #80 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 Highland 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 →