Jack Lowe Memorial Park
Park
17 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Marion Township
Marion Township has 686 acres of parks, 59 for every 1,000 residents
3.6 miles of mapped trail cross Marion Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 48% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Marion Township’s land is conserved, about 1,007 acres.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #423 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,007 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.6 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
686 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marion Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marion Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #423 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 Marion Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (686 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home48% 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 53%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 40%
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 Jack Lowe Memorial Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Marion Township Park #1
Park
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Jack Lowe Memorial Park17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMarion Township Park #110 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHometown Village Bell Tower2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hillcrest State Game Area254 acres
DirectionsBrighton State Recreation Area50 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,007 conserved acres
4% of Marion Township’s land. Who manages Marion Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners294 ac
State fish & wildlife254 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits252 ac
Town or city104 ac
Other state land51 ac
State natural resources50 ac
State Conservation Area · 267 acPrivate Park · 262 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 247 acLocal Park · 62 acState Recreation Area · 50 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 254 | Open |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 247 | Open |
| Howell Nature Center Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 219 | Open |
| Marion Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Brighton State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 50 | Open |
| Howell Gun Club Private Park | Private owners | 43 | Open |
| Warren H. Carpenter Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Restricted |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Gravel Pit Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Closed |
| State Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 13 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in Marion Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Marion Township
Hometown Village Playground
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
12 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
4Baseball
1Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Marion 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) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Marion Township →
Next door
Marion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Township | 4% | 0.1 | 59 | 48% | B− |
| Howell | 3% | 0.3 | 9 | 93% | B |
| Genoa Township | 10% | 0.7 | 59 | 42% | A− |
| Iosco Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 35 | 6% | C− |
| Putnam Township | 29% | 1.1 | 619 | 58% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marion Township
Where can I hike in Marion Township?
The longest trail networks: Jack Lowe Memorial Park, 0.3 miles; Marion Township Park #1, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marion Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Marion Township’s trails?
Jack Lowe Memorial Park and Marion Township Park #1 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marion Township?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Marion Township?
33,348 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marion Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 688 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Marion Township have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #423 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 Marion 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 →