Lee Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
DOutdoors
Outdoors in Newton Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Newton Township
1 acre is park or preserve, 0.2 per 1,000 residents. 8% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Newton Township’s land is conserved, about 382 acres.
Ahead of 10% of U.S. towns · #685 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
382 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1 ac
0.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newton Township is ahead of 10% of U.S. towns, #685 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; conserved land comes closest.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land0.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1 acre) · MI 33 · U.S. 13DParks close to home8% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 10%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 2%
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Newton Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be D. 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.
Who protects it
382 conserved acres
2% of Newton Township’s land. Who manages Newton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city219 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)142 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service21 ac
Local Recreation Area · 219 acConservation Easement · 162 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 162 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binder Park Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 219 | Restricted |
Things to do
3 places to go in Newton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newton Township
Skylark Ridge
DirectionsZoorassic Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Newton Township
Lee Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Newton 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Newton Township →
Next door
Newton Township and its neighbors
Newton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton Township | 2% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 8% | D |
| Leroy Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 8% | D− |
| Emmett Township | 3% | 0.4 | 48 | 59% | B |
| Fredonia Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 107 | 4% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newton Township
How much of Newton Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Newton Township’s trails?
Lee Lake Public Access doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Newton Township?
3,951 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newton Township have?
Ahead of 10% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #685 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 Newton 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 →