Sharonville State Game Area
Nature preserve
2,374 acres4.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Norvell Township
Norvell Township has 3,283 acres of parks, 1,172 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Norvell Township’s land is conserved, about 2,665 acres. The biggest trail networks: Sharonville State Game Area (4.9 mi), Watkins Lake State Park (3 mi), Lefglen Nature Sanctuary (0.6 mi). 35% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #238 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,665 acres · of 29.5 sq mi of land
Trails
9.5 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,283 ac
1,172 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
13
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Norvell Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Norvell Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Norvell Township is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #238 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Norvell Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,172 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,283 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home35% 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 75%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 66%
Water is 8% of Norvell Township’s area (3 of 32 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.
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 Sharonville State Game Area, with 4.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Watkins Lake State Park
Managed by Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission
701 acres3 mi of trail
Yellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lefglen Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
46 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Sharonville State Game Area2,374 acres · 4.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWatkins Lake State Park701 acres · 3 mi of trail · Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission
DirectionsLefglen Nature Sanctuary46 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Michigan Nature Association
W. J. Hayes State Park27 acres
Vineyard Park8 acres · Jackson County
DirectionsAhren's Park4 acres · Norvell Township
DirectionsWho protects it
2,665 conserved acres
14% of Norvell Township’s land. Water is left out: Norvell Township has 29.5 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Norvell Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,325 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits163 ac
Private owners124 ac
State parks27 ac
Other state land18 ac
County7 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,325 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 156 acPrivate Park · 82 acPrivate Conservation · 45 acState Park · 27 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharonville State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,325 | Open |
| Camp O' the Hills Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 115 | Open |
| Greenbriar Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 82 | Restricted |
| Lefglen Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 45 | Open |
| Greenbriar Campground Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 42 | Open |
| Hayes State Park State Park | State parks | 27 | Open |
| Vineyard Lake Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Norvell Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Norvell Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Norvell Township
Vineyard Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.2 mi
Yellow Trail1.0 mi
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Norvell 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) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Norvell Township →
Next door
Norvell Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Grass Lake Township24 miSharon Township17 miManchester Township10 miNorvell Township9.5 miColumbia Township2.4 miCambridge Township2.0 miNapoleon Township1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norvell Township | 14% | 0.3 | 1,172 | 35% | A− |
| Columbia Township | 2% | 0.1 | 39 | 33% | C+ |
| Napoleon Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 49 | 31% | B− |
| Manchester Township | 3% | 0.3 | 111 | 55% | B |
| Sharon Township | 8% | 0.5 | 1,023 | 33% | B+ |
| Cambridge Township | 6% | 0.1 | 190 | 41% | B− |
| Grass Lake Township | 11% | 0.5 | 493 | 43% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Norvell Township
Where can I hike in Norvell Township?
The longest trail networks: Sharonville State Game Area, 4.9 miles; Watkins Lake State Park, 3 miles; Lefglen Nature Sanctuary, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Norvell Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Norvell Township’s trails?
Sharonville State Game Area and Watkins Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Norvell Township?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Norvell Township?
20,906 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Norvell Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,283 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Norvell Township have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #238 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 Norvell 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 →