Spirit Springs Sanctuary
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
125 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
G. W. Jones House · Photo: Michael Tomko · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Marcellus Township
Marcellus Township has 135 acres of parks, 62 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Spirit Springs Sanctuary (2.1 mi). 2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Marcellus Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 54% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
572 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
2.6 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
135 ac
62 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
54%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach · 2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marcellus Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marcellus Township is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Marcellus Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land62 acres of park per 1,000 residents (135 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home54% 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 49%
LessMore
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 Spirit Springs Sanctuary, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
VFW
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Fish Lake Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hemlock Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Spirit Springs Sanctuary125 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
VFW1 acres
Fish Lake Boating Access Site1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Hemlock Lake Public Access1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFishing spot1 acres
Who protects it
572 conserved acres
3% of Marcellus Township’s land. Who manages Marcellus Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits522 ac
Other state land196 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service48 ac
Town or city1 ac
Private Conservation · 522 acConservation Easement · 244 acLocal Park · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamarack Swamp Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 398 | Restricted |
| Spirit Springs Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 124 | Open |
| Lions Club Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Marcellus Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Marcellus Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Marcellus Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Marcellus Township
Fish Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsHemlock Lake Boat LaunchIn Hemlock Lake Public Access
DirectionsTrails & water
14 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Baseball
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Marcellus Township: July to 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Marcellus Township →
Next door
Marcellus Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcellus Township | 3% | 0.1 | 62 | 54% | B− |
| Volinia Township | 4% | 0.1 | 674 | 17% | B− |
| Porter Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 113 | 22% | C+ |
| Newberg Township | 20% | 0.3 | 2,923 | 70% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marcellus Township
Where can I hike in Marcellus Township?
The longest trail networks: Spirit Springs Sanctuary, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marcellus Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Marcellus Township’s trails?
Spirit Springs Sanctuary and VFW don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Marcellus Township?
10,946 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marcellus Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 135 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Marcellus Township have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Marcellus 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 →