Whitmore Lake Preserve
Nature preserve
251 acres2.1 mi of trail
Yellow TrailBlue TrailBlack TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Whitmore Lake Preserve Trail Head
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Northfield Township
7% of Northfield Township’s land is conserved: 1,653 acres
The biggest trail networks: Whitmore Lake Preserve (2.1 mi), Northfield Woods Preserve (1 mi). 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 124 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns · #462 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,653 acres · of 35.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.0 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
124 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Northfield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Northfield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northfield Township is ahead of 47% of U.S. towns, #462 of 701 in Michigan. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Northfield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (124 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks close to home29% 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 47%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 34%
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 Whitmore Lake Preserve, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northfield Woods Preserve
Managed by Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission
81 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,653 conserved acres
7% of Northfield Township’s land. Who manages Northfield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city464 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)455 ac
Private owners403 ac
County328 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits220 ac
Other state land1 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,099 acPrivate Park · 403 acLocal Conservation Area · 316 acForest Stewardship Easement · 30 acLocal Park · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 912 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitmore Lake Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 236 | Closed |
| The Links of Whitmore Lake Private Park | Private owners | 235 | Restricted |
| Rolling Meadows Private Park | Private owners | 168 | Restricted |
| Northfield Woods Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 81 | Open |
| Park Northfield County Park Local Park | County | 12 | Open |
| Kleinschmidt 142 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Closed |
Things to do
7 places to go in Northfield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Northfield Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Northfield Township
Bark ParkIn Whitmore Lake City Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 0.5 mi
Yellow Trail0.8 mi
Blue Trail0.6 mi
Black Trail0.4 mi
Red Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
5Baseball
2Football
2Soccer
1Tennis
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
St. Patrick's Parish ComplexDistrict · listed 1982
About itNathan B. Devereaux Octagon HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itNathan Esek and Sarah Emergene Sutton HouseBuilding · listed 2022
About itGroves FarmBuilding · listed 2023
About itJoshua G. and Nancy (Bly) Leland HouseBuilding · listed 2025
About itBessert-Ryan HouseBuilding · listed 2025
About itGerman Park Recreation ClubBuilding · listed 2025
About itSaint John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Parsonage, and CemeteryBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Northfield 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 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) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Northfield Township →
Next door
Northfield Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Green Oak Township105 miAnn Arbor Township34 miSalem Township12 miNorthfield Township8.0 miWebster Township7.6 miWhitmore Lake0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield Township | 7% | 0.2 | 14 | 29% | B− |
| Webster Township | 17% | 0.2 | 198 | 25% | B+ |
| Salem Township | 7% | 0.3 | 28 | 12% | B− |
| Green Oak Township | 29% | 3.1 | 293 | 53% | A |
| Whitmore Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ann Arbor Township | 17% | 2.1 | 189 | 84% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Northfield Township
Where can I hike in Northfield Township?
The longest trail networks: Whitmore Lake Preserve, 2.1 miles; Northfield Woods Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Northfield 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 Northfield Township’s trails?
Whitmore Lake Preserve and Northfield Woods Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Northfield Township?
36,073 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northfield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 124 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Northfield Township have?
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #462 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 Northfield 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 →