Bald Mountain State Recreation Area
Park
2,754 acres21.4 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow TrailConklin Road ConnectorLOHS Bald Mountain Connector+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: TheKuLeR · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Orion Township
Orion Township has 64 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
1,516 acres are parks and preserves, 39 per 1,000 residents. 10% of Orion Township’s land is conserved, about 2,097 acres. The biggest trail networks: Bald Mountain State Recreation Area (21.4 mi), Orion Oaks County Park (12.8 mi), Friendship Park (4 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #121 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,097 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
64 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,516 ac
39 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
56 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 55 mi paths
Highest peak
1,132 ft
Mount Judah
Lakes & rivers
30
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Orion Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Orion Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Orion Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #121 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Orion Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (64 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land39 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,516 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home61% 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 86%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 83%
Water is 8% of Orion Township’s area (3 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, with 21.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Orion Oaks County Park
Managed by Oakland County Parks
907 acres12.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Orion Oaks County Park
Friendship Park
Park
132 acres4 mi of trail
Friendship Park Singletrack
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Polly Ann Trail
Park
26 acres1.6 mi of trail
Polly Ann Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Morgan Porritt Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
40 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 24 parks & preserves
Bald Mountain State Recreation Area2,754 acres · 21.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOrion Oaks County Park907 acres · 12.8 mi of trail · Oakland County Parks
DirectionsFriendship Park132 acres · 4 mi of trail
DirectionsPolly Ann Trail26 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCivic Center Park81 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCanterbury Village12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMorgan Porritt Nature Sanctuary40 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Michigan Nature Association
Jesse Decker Park25 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Fen Park28 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Paint Creek Trail17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGingell Nature Area38 acres
Heron Springs29 acres
Ranch Estates Park25 acres
Keatington Shores5 acres
DirectionsAtwater Park3 acres
DirectionsKeatington Beach3 acres
DirectionsLake Orion Access3 acres
DirectionsMeek's Park2 acres
DirectionsAcadia Park1 acres
Green's Park1 acres
DirectionsChildren's Park1 acres
DirectionsUnger Park1 acres
DirectionsToddler's Park1 acres
Swiss Village Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,097 conserved acres
10% of Orion Township’s land. Water is left out: Orion Township has 33.2 square miles of land and 2.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Orion Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County904 ac
Private owners453 ac
Other state land376 ac
Town or city338 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
State natural resources6 ac
Local Park · 1,061 acPrivate Park · 453 acConservation Easement · 376 acLocal Recreation Area · 134 acLocal Conservation Area · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 362 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orion Oaks County Park Local Park | County | 904 | Open |
| Bald Mountain Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 203 | Restricted |
| Indianwood Golf & Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 154 | Restricted |
| Friendship Park Local Park | Town or city | 131 | Open |
| Camp Agawam Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Oakhurst Golf and Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 63 | Restricted |
| Civic Center Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Gingell Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Paint Creek Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 32 | Restricted |
| Morgan Porritt State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
41 places to go in Orion Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Orion Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Orion Township
RMHA Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Orion Township
Handicapped Children PlaygroundIn Friendship Park
DirectionsPlus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Orion Township
Orion Oaks Dog ParkIn Orion Oaks County Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Orion Township
Lower Trout Lake Boat LaunchFee · In Bald Mountain State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Orion Township
Scenic OverlookIn Orion Oaks County Park
DirectionsPeaks in Orion Township
Mount Judah1,132 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Orion Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Orion Township
Camp AgawamOrion Township
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Orion Township
Rotary Pollination ParkIn Polly Ann Trail
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 30 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 23.8 miUnpaved · 17.8 mi
Red Trail3.1 mi
Polly Ann Trail2.2 mi
Friendship Park Singletrack1.4 mi
LOHS Bald Mountain Connector1.0 mi
Yellow Trail0.5 mi
Conklin Road Connector0.4 mi
White Trail0.3 mi
Orange Trail0.3 mi
GreenTrail0.2 mi
Red0.2 mi
1 more trails
Blue Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Buckhorn LakeBuckhorn lake TransferwaylakeBullfrog BogpondBunny Run LakeCarpenter LakelakeDark LakeElkhorn LakelakeFishing LakelakeFoley PondpondGreens LakeHeather LakelakeHeron Hollow PondIndianwood LakelakeJudah LakelakeLake HalsoLake OrionlakeLake SixteenLonesome LakelakeLong LakelakeLost LakelakeLower Trout LakereservoirManito LakelakeMill LakelakeMillers LakelakeMud LakePungs LakeRound LakeSquare LakelakeTommys LakelakeVoorheis Lakelake
Biking & sports
56 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
55 mi
off-road bike paths
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Massasauga LoopBike route
3.8 miRedBike route
3.4 miDragon LoopBike route
2.6 miBluebird LoopBike route
2.6 miCourts & fields
17Baseball
14Tennis
12Soccer
2Football
1Beach volleyball
1Lacrosse
1Basketball
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 Orion Township: 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) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Orion Township →
Next door
Orion Township and its neighbors
Orion Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oakland Township72 miOrion Township64 miRochester Hills59 miWaterford Township42 miOxford Township39 miAuburn Hills25 miIndependence Township19 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion Township | 10% | 1.9 | 39 | 61% | A |
| Oakland Township | 15% | 2.0 | 121 | 77% | A |
| Auburn Hills | 7% | 1.5 | 10 | 71% | B+ |
| Independence Township | 14% | 0.5 | 54 | 52% | A− |
| Oxford Township | 16% | 1.2 | 76 | 75% | A |
| Waterford Township | 8% | 1.4 | 21 | 85% | A |
| Rochester Hills | 9% | 1.8 | 13 | 73% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Orion Township
Where can I hike in Orion Township?
The longest trail networks: Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, 21.4 miles; Orion Oaks County Park, 12.8 miles; Friendship Park, 4 miles; Polly Ann Trail, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Orion Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Orion Township’s trails?
Bald Mountain State Recreation Area and Orion Oaks County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Orion Township?
56 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes, 55 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Massasauga Loop, Red and Dragon Loop.
Is there public land near Orion Township?
30,406 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Orion Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,516 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Orion Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #121 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 Orion 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 →