Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Audubon Society
925 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Leoni Township
Leoni Township has 2,230 acres of parks, 162 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Leoni Township’s land is conserved, about 3,498 acres. The biggest trail networks: Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary (1.5 mi). 7.2 miles of mapped trail cross Leoni Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #341 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,498 acres · of 48.6 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,230 ac
162 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.5 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 4.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
14
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Leoni Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Leoni Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Leoni Township is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #341 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Leoni Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land162 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,230 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 64%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 51%
Water is 5% of Leoni Township’s area (3 of 51 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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 Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Waterloo State Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,944 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Leoni Township Lions Park
Managed by Michigan Center Lions Club
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gilletts Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary925 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Michigan Audubon Society
DirectionsWaterloo State Recreation Area1,944 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Leoni Township Lions Park4 acres · Michigan Center Lions Club
DirectionsGilletts Lake Public Access3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCenter Lake Public Access2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
3,498 conserved acres
11% of Leoni Township’s land. Water is left out: Leoni Township has 48.6 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Leoni Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,964 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,005 ac
Private owners298 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits125 ac
Other state land95 ac
County5 ac
Town or city4 ac
State Recreation Area · 1,967 acConservation Easement · 1,100 acPrivate Park · 210 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 201 acLocal Park · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 1,964 | Open |
| Camp Teetonkah Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 125 | Open |
| Lakeland Hills Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 109 | Restricted |
| Gracewil Pines Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 101 | Restricted |
| G.W. Carver Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 77 | Open |
| Legion Park Local Park | Private owners | 12 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | County | 5 | Open |
| Leoni Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Waterloo State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Leoni Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Leoni Township
Waterfront
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Leoni Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Leoni Township
Center Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsGilletts Lake Public Boat LaunchIn Gilletts Lake Public Access
DirectionsMill Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Leoni Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Leoni Township
Beeches
DirectionsDogwoods
DirectionsElms
DirectionsHickories
DirectionsMaples
DirectionsOaks
DirectionsTulip Poplars
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
14 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
4.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
4Tennis
4Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Leoni 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Leoni Township →
Next door
Leoni Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Waterloo Township55 miGrass Lake Township24 miJackson16 miSummit Township9.6 miLeoni Township7.2 miBlackman Township4.7 miHenrietta Township3.6 miNapoleon Township1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leoni Township | 11% | 0.1 | 162 | 34% | B |
| Henrietta Township | 8% | 0.1 | 19 | 16% | C+ |
| Jackson | 10% | 1.4 | 24 | 98% | A |
| Napoleon Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 49 | 31% | B− |
| Grass Lake Township | 11% | 0.5 | 493 | 43% | A− |
| Summit Township | 6% | 0.3 | 16 | 42% | B− |
| Blackman Township | 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 17% | C− |
| Waterloo Township | 20% | 1.1 | 2,036 | 70% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Leoni Township
Where can I hike in Leoni Township?
The longest trail networks: Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, 1.5 miles; Waterloo State Recreation Area, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Leoni Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Leoni Township’s trails?
Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary and Waterloo State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Leoni Township?
4.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 4.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Leoni Township?
28,841 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Leoni Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,230 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Leoni Township have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #341 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 Leoni 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 →