Baker Woods Preserve
Managed by Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission
68 acres1.4 mi of trail
Red TrailStorybook TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Lima Township
Lima Township has 731 acres of parks, 180 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Baker Woods Preserve (1.4 mi), Miller-Smith Preserve (0.9 mi). 8% of Lima Township’s land is conserved, about 1,771 acres. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #391 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,771 acres · of 34.5 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
731 ac
180 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.5 mi
4.5 mi paths
Highest peak
942 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lima Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lima Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lima Township is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #391 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 Lima Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land180 acres of park per 1,000 residents (731 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home21% 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 57%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 44%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Baker Woods Preserve, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Miller-Smith Preserve
Nature preserve
29 acres0.9 mi of trail
Miller TrailSmith Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chelsea State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
464 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Trinkle Marsh Preserve
Managed by Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission
151 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,771 conserved acres
8% of Lima Township’s land. Who manages Lima Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)794 ac
State fish & wildlife478 ac
County247 ac
Private owners160 ac
Other state land81 ac
State Department of Land74 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits12 ac
Agricultural Easement · 864 acState Conservation Area · 478 acLocal Conservation Area · 247 acPrivate Park · 160 acUnknown · 74 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 812 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 478 | Open |
| Reddeman Farms Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 160 | Restricted |
| Trinkle Marsh at Easton Farm Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 150 | Open |
| Parker Unknown | State Department of Land | 74 | Open |
| Baker Woods Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 68 | Open |
| Albert J. Miller And Robert & Nancy Smith Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 30 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Lima Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lima Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Lima Township
Chelsea State Game Area Rustic Boat LaunchIn Chelsea State Game Area
DirectionsFour Mile Lake Rustic Boat LaunchIn Chelsea State Game Area
DirectionsPeaks in Lima Township
Prospect Hill942 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Red Trail0.7 mi
Storybook Trail0.6 mi
Miller Trail0.5 mi
Smith Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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.
4.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Equestrian
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lima Township: August 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 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Lima Township →
Next door
Lima Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dexter Township62 miSylvan Township27 miScio Township25 miChelsea6.9 miFreedom Township6.2 miLima Township5.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima Township | 8% | 0.1 | 180 | 21% | B |
| Chelsea | 13% | 1.9 | 57 | 79% | A |
| Sylvan Township | 15% | 0.8 | 843 | 52% | A |
| Freedom Township | 6% | 0.2 | 170 | 2% | B− |
| Dexter Township | 27% | 2.1 | 808 | 51% | A |
| Scio Township | 10% | 0.8 | 66 | 73% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lima Township
Where can I hike in Lima Township?
The longest trail networks: Baker Woods Preserve, 1.4 miles; Miller-Smith Preserve, 0.9 miles; Trinkle Marsh Preserve, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lima Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Lima Township’s trails?
Baker Woods Preserve and Miller-Smith Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lima Township?
4.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lima Township?
42,518 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lima Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 731 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lima Township have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #391 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 Lima 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 →