Riverview Natural Area
Managed by Little Forks Conservancy
407 acres3 mi of trail
North LoopFirst Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Homer Township
Homer Township has 963 acres of parks, 241 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Riverview Natural Area (3 mi), Chippewa Nature Center (2.7 mi), Forestview Natural Area (0.7 mi). 9% of Homer Township’s land is conserved, about 1,233 acres. 15 miles of mapped trail cross Homer Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #219 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,233 acres · of 20.9 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
963 ac
241 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
1.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Homer Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Homer Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Homer Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #219 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 Homer Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land241 acres of park per 1,000 residents (963 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home35% 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 78%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 69%
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 Riverview Natural Area, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chippewa Nature Center
Nature preserve
310 acres2.7 mi of trail
River Point TrailConnecting PathMeadow Mouse Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Forestview Natural Area
Managed by Little Forks Conservancy
74 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Riverview Natural Area407 acres · 3 mi of trail · Little Forks Conservancy
DirectionsChippewa Nature Center310 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsForestview Natural Area74 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Little Forks Conservancy
DirectionsHomer Township Park25 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNelson Woods88 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Little Forks Conservancy
DirectionsUrsula B. Anderson Natural Area7 acres · Little Forks Conservancy
River Bend Park2 acres · City of Midland
Who protects it
1,233 conserved acres
9% of Homer Township’s land. Who manages Homer Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits892 ac
Other state land180 ac
County158 ac
Town or city3 ac
Private Conservation · 494 acConservation Easement · 297 acLocal Conservation Area · 281 acLocal Park · 161 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 298 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 422 | Closed |
| Chippewa Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 281 | Open |
| County of Midland Park Local Park | County | 158 | Open |
| Forestview Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 72 | Open |
| River Bend Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Homer Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Homer Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Homer Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Homer Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
North Loop2.0 mi
River Point Trail1.3 mi
First Loop1.0 mi
Connecting Path0.5 mi
Meadow Mouse Trail0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
2.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Baseball
6Tennis
4Soccer
4Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Homer 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Homer Township →
Next door
Homer Township and its neighbors
Homer Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homer Township | 9% | 0.7 | 241 | 35% | A− |
| Midland | 9% | 2.2 | 48 | 96% | A |
| Midland Township | 15% | 2.0 | 273 | 43% | A |
| Mount Haley Township | 2% | 0.1 | 136 | 11% | C |
| Lee Township | 2% | 0.1 | 80 | 14% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Homer Township
Where can I hike in Homer Township?
The longest trail networks: Riverview Natural Area, 3 miles; Chippewa Nature Center, 2.7 miles; Forestview Natural Area, 0.7 miles; Homer Township Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Homer Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Homer Township’s trails?
Riverview Natural Area and Chippewa Nature Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Homer Township?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths and 2.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Homer Township?
9,069 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Homer Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 963 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Homer Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #219 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 Homer 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 →