Thompson Road-Air Line Railroad Bridge · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Few parks or trails are on the map in Howard Township
0.3 miles of mapped trail cross Howard Township. 32% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 37 acres are parks and preserves, 5.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 12% of U.S. towns · #675 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
How much outdoors does Howard Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Howard Township is ahead of 12% of U.S. towns, #675 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; park acres per resident come closest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wilding Plant Preserve
32 conserved acres
under 1% of Howard Township’s land. Who manages Howard Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Pepper Martin Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Sholtey Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Wilding Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
2 lakes & rivers
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Howard Township: April, 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Howard Township →
Howard Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 32% | D |
| Niles | 6% | under 0.1 | 17 | 98% | B |
| Jefferson Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 5% | D |
| Pokagon Township | 3% | 0.1 | 205 | 22% | C+ |
| Niles Township | 2% | 0.2 | 18 | 60% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Howard Township
Where can I hike in Howard Township?
The longest trail networks: Wilding Plant Preserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Howard Township is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Howard Township’s trails?
Pepper Martin Park and Wilding Plant Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Howard Township?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Howard Township?
4,750 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Howard Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 37 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Howard Township have?
Ahead of 12% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #675 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 Howard Township neighbors.
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 →