Oakwoods Metropark
Managed by Huron Clinton Metro Authority
1,591 acres14.9 mi of trail
Orange TrailLong Bark Nature TrailYellow TrailRed Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Equestrian Staging Area
Waltz Road-Huron River Bridge · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Huron Township
Huron Township has 3,840 acres of parks, 230 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Huron Township’s land is conserved, about 3,390 acres. The biggest trail networks: Oakwoods Metropark (14.9 mi), Willow Metropark (6.9 mi), Lower Huron Metropark (1.7 mi). 26 miles of mapped trail cross Huron Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #143 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,390 acres · of 35.4 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,840 ac
230 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
49%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
20 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Huron Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Huron Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Huron Township is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #143 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 Huron Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land230 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,840 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home49% 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 85%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 80%
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 Oakwoods Metropark, with 14.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Willow Metropark
Park
1,471 acres6.9 mi of trail
Crosscountry Skiing Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lower Huron Metropark
Park
560 acres1.7 mi of trail
Bob White Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Joseph Waltz Memorial Park
Managed by Huron Charter Township
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Oakwoods Metropark1,591 acres · 14.9 mi of trail · Huron Clinton Metro Authority
DirectionsWillow Metropark1,471 acres · 6.9 mi of trail
DirectionsLower Huron Metropark560 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsJoseph Waltz Memorial Park7 acres · Huron Charter Township
Lajko Park6 acres
DirectionsKenneth E. Berlinn Memorial Park1 acres · Huron Charter Township
Who protects it
3,390 conserved acres
15% of Huron Township’s land. Who manages Huron Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,994 ac
Other state land317 ac
Private owners77 ac
Local Park · 2,994 acConservation Easement · 317 acPrivate Park · 77 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 319 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 1,197 | Open |
| Oakwoods Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 1,109 | Open |
| Lower Huron Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 680 | Open |
| Woodside Meadows Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 77 | Restricted |
| Lajko Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
Things to do
31 places to go in Huron Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Huron Township
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Huron Township
Canoe/Kayak LaunchIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsCanoe/Kayak LaunchIn Oakwoods Metropark
DirectionsCanoe/Kayak LaunchIn Oakwoods Metropark
DirectionsPicnic areas in Huron Township
Acorn Knoll Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsBig Bend Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsChestnut Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsElder Creek Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsFlint Woods Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsFox Meadows Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsIndian Ridge Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsWashago Pond Picnic AreaIn Willow Metropark
DirectionsCampgrounds in Huron Township
East Bend Group CampIn Lower Huron Metropark
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 8.5 miUnpaved · 19.3 mi
Orange Trail1.9 mi
Long Bark Nature Trail1.7 mi
Yellow Trail1.6 mi
Red Trail1.3 mi
Crosscountry Skiing Trail1.0 mi
Blue Trail0.8 mi
Orange Trail / Blue Trail0.7 mi
Sky-Come-Down Nature Trail0.6 mi
Big Tree Trail0.5 mi
Butterfly Viewing Trail0.5 mi
4 more trails
Bob White Nature Trail
0.3 miShortcut
0.2 miYellow Trail / Red Trail
0.2 miSplit Log Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
20 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Baseball
8Soccer
6Tennis
4Basketball
4Tracks
2Beach volleyball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Waltz Road-Huron River BridgeStructure · listed 2000
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Huron Township: June, 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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Huron Township →
Next door
Huron Township and its neighbors
Huron Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Huron Township26 miSumpter Township19 miBrownstown Township18 miRomulus9.5 miFlat Rock3.7 miAsh Township1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huron Township | 15% | 0.7 | 230 | 49% | A− |
| Brownstown Township | 12% | 0.8 | 52 | 83% | A |
| Romulus | 4% | 0.3 | 8 | 42% | C+ |
| Sumpter Township | 5% | 0.5 | 116 | 23% | B |
| Flat Rock | 4% | 0.6 | 14 | 84% | B+ |
| Ash Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 26 | 26% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Huron Township
Where can I hike in Huron Township?
The longest trail networks: Oakwoods Metropark, 14.9 miles; Willow Metropark, 6.9 miles; Lower Huron Metropark, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Huron Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Huron Township’s trails?
Oakwoods Metropark and Willow Metropark don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Huron Township?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 20 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Huron Township?
18,947 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Huron Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,840 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Huron Township have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #143 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 Huron 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 →