Stony Creek Metropark
Managed by Huron-Clinton Metroparks
1,199 acres22.4 mi of trail
Roller CoasterBee LineBack NineBeach+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Oakland Township
Oakland Township has 72 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
2,461 acres are parks and preserves, 121 per 1,000 residents. 15% of Oakland Township’s land is conserved, about 3,549 acres. The biggest trail networks: Stony Creek Metropark (22.4 mi), Bald Mountain State Recreation Area (12.2 mi), Bear Creek Nature Park (3.9 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #26 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,549 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
72 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,461 ac
121 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
22 mi paths
Highest peak
991 ft
Fibber Mountain
Lakes & rivers
19
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Oakland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oakland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oakland Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #26 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oakland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (72 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land121 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,461 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home77% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 96%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Stony Creek Metropark, with 22.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bald Mountain State Recreation Area
Park
1,693 acres12.2 mi of trail
OrangeWhiteBluePredmore Road Connector+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bear Creek Nature Park
Park
116 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lost Lake Nature Park
Nature preserve
293 acres2.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Addison Oaks County Park
Park
92 acres2.5 mi of trail
Trail Loop E
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Stony Creek Ravine Nature Park
Park
267 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Charles Isley Park
Managed by Charter Township of Oakland
119 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 23 parks & preserves
Stony Creek Metropark1,199 acres · 22.4 mi of trail · Huron-Clinton Metroparks
DirectionsBald Mountain State Recreation Area1,693 acres · 12.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBear Creek Nature Park116 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
DirectionsLost Lake Nature Park293 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCranberry Lake Park210 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsAddison Oaks County Park92 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsStony Creek Ravine Nature Park267 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
Charles Isley Park119 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Charter Township of Oakland
DirectionsDraper Twin Lake Park89 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMarsh View Park94 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsPaint Creek Trail60 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGallagher Creek Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPaint Creek Junction Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Tribute of Oakland Township5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMill Race Trail2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWatershed Ridge Park166 acres
DirectionsBlue Heron Environmental Area138 acres
DirectionsPaint Creek Heritage Area Wet Prairie11 acres
DirectionsO’Connor Nature Park10 acres
Corey James Field4 acres
Paint Creek Cider Mill2 acres · Oakland County Township
DirectionsMill Creek Crossing1 acres
Paint Creek Heritage Area Fen1 acres
Who protects it
3,549 conserved acres
15% of Oakland Township’s land. Who manages Oakland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,601 ac
Private owners1,085 ac
Other state land506 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits349 ac
County250 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Local Park · 1,443 acPrivate Park · 1,050 acConservation Easement · 506 acUnknown Easement · 349 acLocal Recreation Area · 269 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 612 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Creek Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 965 | Open |
| Twin Lakes Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 359 | Restricted |
| Wyndgate Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 265 | Restricted |
| Addison Oaks County Park Local Park | County | 250 | Open |
| Stoney Creek Metropark Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 218 | Restricted |
| Westwynd Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 145 | Restricted |
| Blue Heron Environmental Area Local Park | Town or city | 143 | Open |
| Beaver Creek Golf Links Private Park | Private owners | 141 | Restricted |
| Blackheath Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 140 | Restricted |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 139 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Oakland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Oakland Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Oakland Township
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Oakland Township
Prince Lake Boat LaunchIn Bald Mountain State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Oakland Township
Observation DeckIn Marsh View Park
DirectionsPlus 7 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Oakland Township
Fibber Mountain991 ft elevation · In Stony Creek Metropark
DirectionsMt. Sheldon951 ft elevation · In Stony Creek Metropark
DirectionsNew Bald MountainIn Bald Mountain State Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 19 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 40.1 miHorses · 9.6 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Orange3.5 mi
Roller Coaster2.8 mi
White2.0 mi
Trail Loop E2.0 mi
Bee Line1.9 mi
Back Nine1.9 mi
Blue1.7 mi
Beach1.6 mi
Pines1.6 mi
#26-#271.1 mi
15 more trails
Ridgeline
0.6 miConnector
0.6 mi#26-#43
0.5 mi#28-#41
0.4 mi#17-#28
0.4 mi#16-#17
0.4 mi#14-#39 (Woohoo Hill)
0.4 miPredmore Road Connector
0.4 miGreen
0.3 mi#30-#31
0.3 mi#24-#25
0.3 miAddison Oaks Connector
0.3 mi#29-#33
0.2 mi#29-#30
0.2 mi#10-#25
0.2 miBiking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
22 mi
off-road bike paths
Other TrailsBike route
8.7 miOrangeBike route
3.5 miRoller CoasterBike route
2.9 miStony Creek Ravine Nature Park TrailsBike route
2.4 miBack NineBike route
2.1 miWhiteBike route
2 miPinesBike route
1.9 miCourts & fields
14Tennis
7Basketball
5Soccer
4Baseball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Oakland Township: June, August 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Oakland Township →
Next door
Oakland Township and its neighbors
Oakland Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oakland Township72 miOrion Township64 miRochester Hills59 miWashington Township52 miAddison Township35 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Township | 15% | 2.0 | 121 | 77% | A |
| Orion Township | 10% | 1.9 | 39 | 61% | A |
| Rochester Hills | 9% | 1.8 | 13 | 73% | A− |
| Washington Township | 17% | 1.5 | 92 | 59% | A |
| Addison Township | 9% | 1.0 | 285 | 53% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oakland Township
Where can I hike in Oakland Township?
The longest trail networks: Stony Creek Metropark, 22.4 miles; Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, 12.2 miles; Bear Creek Nature Park, 3.9 miles; Lost Lake Nature Park, 2.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oakland Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Oakland Township’s trails?
Stony Creek Metropark and Bald Mountain State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oakland Township?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 22 of off-road paths. Named routes: Other Trails, Orange and Roller Coaster.
Is there public land near Oakland Township?
21,804 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oakland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,463 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oakland Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #26 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 Oakland 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 →