School Section Lake Veteran's Park
Managed by Mecosta County
86 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Morton Township
Morton Township has 238 acres of parks, 52 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: School Section Lake Veteran's Park (1.5 mi). 7% of Morton Township’s land is conserved, about 1,447 acres. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Morton Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #316 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,447 acres · of 33.0 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
238 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 0.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
23
4 beaches · 4 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Morton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Morton Township is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #316 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 Morton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (238 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home32% 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 67%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 55%
Water is 7% of Morton Township’s area (3 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 School Section Lake Veteran's Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Mecosta Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resoures
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pine Tree Park
Managed by Village of Mecosta
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
School Section Lake Veteran's Park86 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Mecosta County
Lake Mecosta Public Access7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resoures
DirectionsCanadian Lakes5 acres
DirectionsPine Tree Park5 acres · Village of Mecosta
Brower Park1 acres · Village of Mecosta
DirectionsWho protects it
1,447 conserved acres
7% of Morton Township’s land. Water is left out: Morton Township has 33.0 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Morton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners1,059 ac
County183 ac
Town or city149 ac
State fish & wildlife40 ac
Other state land17 ac
Private Park · 996 acLocal Park · 251 acLocal Other or Unknown · 81 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 63 acState Conservation Area · 40 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullymore Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 591 | Restricted |
| St. Ives Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 404 | Restricted |
| Village of Mecosta Park Local Park | Town or city | 109 | Open |
| School Section Lake Park Local Park | County | 102 | Open |
| Gravel Pit Local Other or Unknown | County | 81 | Closed |
| Township of Morton Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Martiny Lake State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 40 | Open |
| Chippewa Hills School District Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 35 | Open |
| Mecosta County Rod and Gun Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 28 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Morton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Morton Township
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Morton Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Morton Township
Lake Mecosta Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Morton Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Morton Township
Canadian Lakes Campground
DirectionsFamily Group CampIn School Section Lake Veteran's Park
DirectionsHoliday Terrace Mobile Home ParkBurke Holiday Terrace LLC
DirectionsSchool Section Lake Veteran's Park CampgroundIn School Section Lake Veteran's Park · Mecosta County
DirectionsTrails & water
23 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Beaver LakeBlue LakeCampers LakelakeCampers PondEast Canadian LakeFair West LakeFawn LakelakeKilkenny LakeKitt LakelakeLake LauraLake MecostaLake of the CloudslakeLost Canyon LakelakeLost LakelakeMain Canadian LakeOsprey PondRound LakeSchool Section LakelakeSpring LakeSunset LakelakeWest Canadian LakeEast Branch Little Muskegon RiverWest Branch Little Muskegon River
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
6Baseball
4Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Morton Township: July 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in April, the wettest month. The climate in Morton Township →
Next door
Morton Township and its neighbors
Morton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Austin Township37 miMorton Township18 miCanadian Lakes14 miHinton Township7.4 miMartiny Township2.8 miWheatland Township2.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morton Township | 7% | 0.5 | 52 | 32% | B+ |
| Austin Township | 7% | 1.0 | 1,096 | 36% | A− |
| Canadian Lakes | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Martiny Township | 15% | 0.1 | 1,695 | 38% | B+ |
| Hinton Township | 1% | 0.2 | 110 | 20% | C+ |
| Wheatland Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 19 | 15% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Morton Township
Where can I hike in Morton Township?
The longest trail networks: School Section Lake Veteran's Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Morton Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Morton Township’s trails?
School Section Lake Veteran's Park and Lake Mecosta Public Access don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Morton Township?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Morton Township?
16,049 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Morton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 238 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Morton Township have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #316 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 Morton 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 →