Muskegon State Game Area
Managed by Michigan DNR - Wildlife Division
2,804 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: bigmikesndtech · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Muskegon Township
Muskegon Township has 2,723 acres of parks, 154 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Muskegon Township’s land is conserved, about 2,693 acres. 40% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.5 miles of mapped trail cross Muskegon Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #284 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
2,693 acres · of 23.5 sq mi of land
Trails
4.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,723 ac
154 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
3.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Muskegon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Muskegon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Muskegon Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #284 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 Muskegon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land154 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,723 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home40% 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 60%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Boyce Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by Muskegon Conservation District
25 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Parslow Park
Park
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,693 conserved acres
18% of Muskegon Township’s land. Who manages Muskegon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,637 ac
Town or city47 ac
Private owners6 ac
Other state land4 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,637 acLocal Park · 47 acPrivate Park · 6 acConservation Easement · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,637 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Parslow Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Buel Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| University Park Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 6 | Restricted |
Things to do
13 places to go in Muskegon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Muskegon Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Muskegon Township
Mill Iron Boat Launch
DirectionsSheridan Landing Boat LaunchIn Muskegon State Game Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Muskegon Township
Fairchild Park
DirectionsThe Pines
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Tennis
15Baseball
4Football
4Soccer
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Muskegon Township: June 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Muskegon Township →
Next door
Muskegon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cedar Creek Township43 miEgelston Township25 miLaketon Township25 miMuskegon23 miDalton Township13 miFruitport Township7.0 miMuskegon Township4.5 miNorth Muskegon2.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon Township | 18% | 0.2 | 154 | 40% | B+ |
| Muskegon | 5% | 1.6 | 19 | 82% | A− |
| Dalton Township | 3% | 0.4 | 105 | 57% | B |
| Egelston Township | 44% | 0.7 | 824 | 37% | A |
| Laketon Township | 4% | 1.4 | 185 | 47% | A− |
| North Muskegon | 7% | 1.4 | 19 | 78% | A− |
| Cedar Creek Township | 26% | 1.2 | 519 | 11% | A− |
| Fruitport Township | 1% | 0.2 | 26 | 37% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Muskegon Township
How much of Muskegon Township is conserved land?
18% 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 Muskegon Township’s trails?
Muskegon State Game Area and Boyce Woods Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Muskegon Township?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Muskegon Township?
44,971 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Muskegon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,723 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Muskegon Township have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #284 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 Muskegon 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 →