Lyon Oaks County Park
Park
783 acres6 mi of trail
Heron Loopopen field perimeterRed-tail RunCoyote Corridor+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lyon Township
Lyon Township has 46 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
1,443 acres are parks and preserves, 58 per 1,000 residents. 11% of Lyon Township’s land is conserved, about 2,198 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lyon Oaks County Park (6 mi), James F. Atchison Park (4.6 mi), Island Lake State Recreation Area (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #127 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,198 acres · of 31.0 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,443 ac
58 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
28 mi
28 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lyon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lyon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lyon Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #127 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lyon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land58 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,443 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home55% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 82%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Lyon Oaks County Park, with 6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
James F. Atchison Park
Park
177 acres4.6 mi of trail
Hole #17Hole #7Hole #10Hole #4+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Island Lake State Recreation Area
Park
167 acres2.6 mi of trail
Hickory Ridge TrailX-Country Race Course
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kensington Metropark
Park
216 acres1.2 mi of trail
South Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Lyon Oaks County Park783 acres · 6 mi of trail
DirectionsJames F. Atchison Park177 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsIsland Lake State Recreation Area167 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsKensington Metropark216 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLyon Township Park70 acres
DirectionsWildflower Park14 acres
Martindale Meadows Park6 acres
Volunteer Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,198 conserved acres
11% of Lyon Township’s land. Who manages Lyon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners922 ac
Other state land523 ac
County334 ac
Town or city200 ac
State natural resources163 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits95 ac
Private Park · 919 acConservation Easement · 523 acLocal Recreation Area · 364 acState Recreation Area · 195 acLocal Park · 169 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 535 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon Oaks Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 334 | Restricted |
| Walnut Creek Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 251 | Restricted |
| Tanglewood Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 242 | Restricted |
| Coyote Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 204 | Restricted |
| Kensington Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 169 | Open |
| Island Lake Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 163 | Open |
| Cattails Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 142 | Restricted |
| River Bank Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 79 | Restricted |
| Huron Valley Trail State Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 32 | Open |
| Kensington Metropark Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 30 | Restricted |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Lyon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Lyon Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lyon Township
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lyon Township
Lyon Oaks Dog ParkIn Lyon Oaks County Park
Directionssmall dog areaIn Lyon Oaks County Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Lyon Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lyon Township
Heron Rookery Viewing AreaIn Lyon Oaks County Park
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Lyon Township
Haas Lake Campground
DirectionsDisc golf in Lyon Township
The Lyons Den Disc Golf CourseIn James F. Atchison Park
DirectionsTrails & water
19 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 12.7 miHorses · 2.5 miUnpaved · 4.2 mi
Hickory Ridge Trail2.0 mi
Horse Track1.3 mi
Heron Loop1.1 mi
open field perimeter0.7 mi
South Trail0.7 mi
Red-tail Run0.6 mi
horse track0.5 mi
Coyote Corridor0.5 mi
Connector0.4 mi
Old Orchard Loop0.4 mi
9 more trails
Hole #17
0.1 miX-Country Race Course
0.1 miHole #7
0.1 miHole #10
0.1 miHole #4
0.1 miHole #11
0.1 miHole #18
0.1 miHole #3
0.1 miHole #2
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
28 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
28 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
13Tennis
10Baseball
4Soccer
2Volleyball
2Basketball
2Cricket
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lyon 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 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Lyon Township →
Next door
Lyon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Green Oak Township105 miMilford Township101 miNovi50 miLyon Township46 miWixom14 miSalem Township12 miSouth Lyon6.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon Township | 11% | 1.5 | 58 | 55% | A |
| South Lyon | 7% | 1.7 | 19 | 96% | A |
| Milford Township | 26% | 3.1 | 323 | 68% | A+ |
| Green Oak Township | 29% | 3.1 | 293 | 53% | A |
| Wixom | 15% | 1.5 | 50 | 88% | A |
| Novi | 12% | 1.7 | 25 | 85% | A |
| Salem Township | 7% | 0.3 | 28 | 12% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lyon Township
Where can I hike in Lyon Township?
The longest trail networks: Lyon Oaks County Park, 6 miles; James F. Atchison Park, 4.6 miles; Island Lake State Recreation Area, 2.6 miles; Kensington Metropark, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lyon 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 Lyon Township’s trails?
Lyon Oaks County Park and James F. Atchison Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lyon Township?
28 miles of bike routes are on the map: 28 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lyon Township?
39,327 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lyon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,446 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lyon Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #127 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 Lyon 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 →