Holly State Recreation Area
Nature preserve
2,280 acres22.7 mi of trail
Gruber's GrinderWest LoopOrchard LoopMeadows Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Holly Township
Holly Township has 2,107 acres of parks, 172 for every 1,000 residents
47 miles of mapped trail cross Holly Township, 1.4 per square mile of land. 10% of Holly Township’s land is conserved, about 2,288 acres. The biggest trail networks: Holly State Recreation Area (22.7 mi), Seven Lakes State Park (13.8 mi), Sorensen Park (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #113 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,288 acres · of 34.5 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,107 ac
172 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
52%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
0.9 mi lanes · 0.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
45
3 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Holly Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Holly Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Holly Township is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #113 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 Holly Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (47 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land172 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,107 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home52% 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 87%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 84%
Water is 5% of Holly 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 10%.
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 Holly State Recreation Area, with 22.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Seven Lakes State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,469 acres13.8 mi of trail
Nature TrailRed TrailGreen TrailDickinson Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sorensen Park
Managed by Village of Holly
67 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Holly Oaks ORV Park
Managed by Michigan DNR
130 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Holly State Recreation Area2,280 acres · 22.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSeven Lakes State Park1,469 acres · 13.8 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSorensen Park67 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Village of Holly
DirectionsLakeside Memorial Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHolly Oaks ORV Park130 acres · Michigan DNR
Holly Heritage Farmstead15 acres
Cyclone Park7 acres
DirectionsWaterworks Park4 acres
DirectionsHolly Township Beach2 acres
DirectionsCrotched Lake Boat Access2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFish Lake Kayak and Canoe Launch2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGanshaw Park2 acres
DirectionsCrapo Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,288 conserved acres
10% of Holly Township’s land. Water is left out: Holly Township has 34.5 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Holly Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,623 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits786 ac
Private owners122 ac
Town or city108 ac
State Park · 1,467 acConservation Easement · 509 acPrivate Conservation · 345 acPrivate Park · 116 acAgricultural Easement · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 246 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Lakes State Park State Park | Other state land | 1,467 | Open |
| Lost Lake Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 345 | Open |
| Bramblewood Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 116 | Restricted |
| Sorensen Park & Nature Center Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Morris Fein Arboretum Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Cyclone Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Camp Copneconic Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 5 | Open |
| Lakeside Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Ganshaw Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Holly Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Holly Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Holly Township
10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Holly Township
Fish Lake Road Kayak and Canoe LaunchIn Fish Lake Kayak and Canoe Launch
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Holly Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
24 named trails and 45 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 30.7 miUnpaved · 3.4 mi
Gruber's Grinder6.0 mi
West Loop3.6 mi
Orchard Loop3.2 mi
Lake Loop2.3 mi
Meadows Loop2.2 mi
North Loop1.9 mi
East Loop1.7 mi
Campus Loop1.5 mi
Nature Trail1.4 mi
Red Trail1.3 mi
14 more trails
Green Trail
1.2 miTech Loop
0.7 miDickinson Trail
0.3 miTurtle Trail
0.3 miGreen / Red Trail
0.3 miEvans Court
0.3 miOld Shields Road Bed
0.2 miThorn Dog Exit
0.2 miYellow Shortcut
0.1 miHill Loop
0.1 miWall Bypass
0.1 miThe Wall (New)
0.1 miTech Loop Bypass
0.1 miShortcut
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Baldwin LakelakeBevins LakelakeBig Seven LakelakeBloat LakelakeBurn LakeBush LakelakeCady LakelakeCrotched LakeCrystal LakereservoirDickinson LakelakeDrake LakelakeFagan LakelakeGravel LakelakeHolderidge LakesHoldridge LakeslakeHollyshire LakelakeKennedy LakelakeLacy LakeLake Bars LeakpondLake CopneconiclakeLake HopelakeLake IroquoislakeLittle Crotched LakeLittle LakelakeLittle Seven LakeMarl LakeMartin LakelakeMinnock LakelakeMitchell LakelakeMud LakeOyster LakepondPine LakelakeRice LakelakeRound LakelakeSand LakeSimonson LakelakeSlack LakelakeSpring LakeStiffs Mill PondlakeStrawberry LakelakeSweetwaterpondTooley LakelakeWilson LakepondShiawassee RiverSwartz Creek
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
East LoopBike route
7.7 miWest LoopBike route
4 miOrchard LoopBike route
3.2 miHolly High School Foundation TrailBike route
2.9 miMeadows LoopBike route
2.2 miNorth LoopBike route
1.9 miLake LoopBike route
0.9 miTech LoopBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
21Tennis
10Baseball
3Soccer
3Beach volleyball
2Basketball
2Tracks
2Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Holly 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
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 Holly Township →
Next door
Holly Township and its neighbors
Holly Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Holly Township47 miGroveland Township38 miGrand Blanc Township16 miRose Township12 miFenton Township7.1 miFenton6.2 miHolly4.8 miLake Fenton0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Township | 10% | 1.4 | 172 | 52% | A |
| Fenton | 8% | 0.9 | 27 | 89% | A |
| Rose Township | 8% | 0.3 | 262 | 53% | B+ |
| Lake Fenton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fenton Township | 4% | 0.3 | 30 | 46% | B |
| Holly | 7% | 1.7 | 16 | 67% | A− |
| Grand Blanc Township | 10% | 0.5 | 32 | 48% | B+ |
| Groveland Township | 10% | 1.1 | 362 | 33% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Holly Township
Where can I hike in Holly Township?
The longest trail networks: Holly State Recreation Area, 22.7 miles; Seven Lakes State Park, 13.8 miles; Sorensen Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Holly Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Holly Township’s trails?
Holly State Recreation Area and Seven Lakes State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Holly Township?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes and 0.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: East Loop, West Loop and Orchard Loop.
Is there public land near Holly Township?
24,922 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Holly Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,107 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Holly Township have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #113 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 Holly 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 →