Lapeer State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,158 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Detroit-Bay City Railroad Company Columbiaville Depot · Photo: Paul R. Burley · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Marathon Township
Marathon Township has 2,087 acres of parks, 470 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Marathon Township’s land is conserved, about 2,046 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lapeer State Game Area (2.4 mi). 4.9 miles of mapped trail cross Marathon Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #289 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,046 acres · of 33.0 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,087 ac
470 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
4.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Marathon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marathon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marathon Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #289 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Marathon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land470 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,087 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home53% 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 70%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 59%
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 Lapeer State Game Area, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Holloway Reservoir Regional Park
Managed by Genesee County
190 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hilton and Marjorie Tibbits Nature Sanctuary and Land Stewardship Center
Managed by Six Rivers Land Conservancy
120 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Marathon Township Park
Managed by Mundy Township
80 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Lapeer State Game Area1,158 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHolloway Reservoir Regional Park190 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Genesee County
Hilton and Marjorie Tibbits Nature Sanctuary and Land Stewardship Center120 acres · Six Rivers Land Conservancy
Marathon Township Park80 acres · Mundy Township
Myron and Isabel Zucker Memorial Nature Sanctuary75 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Otter Lake Village Park and Campground9 acres
Marina Park5 acres
Bert Vermilya Memorial Riverside Park2 acres
Veteran's Memorial Park2 acres
DirectionsMurphy Lake State Game Area1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
2,046 conserved acres
10% of Marathon Township’s land. Who manages Marathon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,154 ac
Town or city392 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits237 ac
Private owners145 ac
County76 ac
Other state land66 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,154 acLocal Park · 468 acUnknown Easement · 153 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 103 acPrivate Conservation · 84 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 204 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lapeer State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,154 | Open |
| City of Flint Park Local Park | Town or city | 337 | Open |
| Tau Beta Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 103 | Open |
| Genesee Parks and Recreation Local Park | County | 76 | Open |
| Myron & Isabel Zucker Memorial Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 69 | Open |
| Watertown Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Columbiaville Sportsman Club Private Park | Private owners | 41 | Open |
| Marathon Twp Property Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Open |
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Murphy Lake State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Marathon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Marathon Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Marathon Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Marathon Township
Camp TahaTawheed Institute
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.6 mi
Nature Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Soccer
3Baseball
2Basketball
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Detroit-Bay City Railroad Company Columbiaville DepotBuilding · listed 1984
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Marathon Township: June, 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Marathon Township →
Next door
Marathon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oregon Township25 miWatertown Township14 miMarathon Township4.9 miForest Township2.7 miDeerfield Township1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon Township | 10% | 0.1 | 470 | 53% | B+ |
| Oregon Township | 19% | 0.8 | 703 | 70% | A |
| Deerfield Township | 2% | 0.1 | 98 | 14% | C+ |
| Forest Township | 5% | 0.1 | 140 | 35% | B− |
| Watertown Township | 11% | 0.4 | 895 | 39% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marathon Township
Where can I hike in Marathon Township?
The longest trail networks: Lapeer State Game Area, 2.4 miles; Holloway Reservoir Regional Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marathon Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Marathon Township’s trails?
Lapeer State Game Area and Holloway Reservoir Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marathon Township?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Marathon Township?
25,495 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marathon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,087 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Marathon Township have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #289 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 Marathon 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 →