Oshtemo Township Park
Park
72 acres4 mi of trail
Loop TrailOld Field Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Benjamin and Maria (Ogden) Drake Farm · Photo: Karen High2 · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Oshtemo Township
Oshtemo Township has 21 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Oshtemo Township Park (4 mi), Lillian Anderson Arboretum (3.6 mi), Wolf Tree Nature Trails (1.8 mi). 492 acres are parks and preserves, 21 per 1,000 residents. 31% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #451 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
461 acres · of 35.7 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
492 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.5 mi
2.2 mi lanes · 5.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oshtemo Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oshtemo Township is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #451 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oshtemo Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (492 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home31% 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 49%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 36%
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 Oshtemo Township Park, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lillian Anderson Arboretum
Managed by Kalamazoo College
146 acres3.6 mi of trail
Powerline TrailMarsh Woods TrailMagnificent Pines TrailGathje Hill Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wolf Tree Nature Trails
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
64 acres1.8 mi of trail
Kettle & Kame TrailOak Opening TrailColumbo Kettle LoopBlack Oak Shortcut
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Drake's Farmstead Park
Park
29 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Oshtemo Township Park72 acres · 4 mi of trail
Lillian Anderson Arboretum146 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Kalamazoo College
DirectionsWolf Tree Nature Trails64 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Drake's Farmstead Park29 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFlesher Field25 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSchellenberg Woods9 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Kal-Haven Trailhead7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
461 conserved acres
2% of Oshtemo Township’s land. Who manages Oshtemo Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners231 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits87 ac
State natural resources81 ac
Other state land62 ac
Private Park · 231 acPrivate Conservation · 87 acState Park · 81 acState Conservation Area · 59 acConservation Easement · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge View Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 119 | Restricted |
| Prairies Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 112 | Restricted |
| Kal-Haven Trail Sesq. State Park State Park | State natural resources | 81 | Open |
| Wolf Tree Nature Trails Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 68 | Open |
| Orchard State Conservation Area | Other state land | 59 | Open |
| Schellenberg Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Unknown |
Things to do
15 places to go in Oshtemo Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Oshtemo Township
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Oshtemo Township
Overlook DeckIn Oshtemo Township Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Oshtemo Township
Oshtemo Township Park Disc Golf CourseIn Oshtemo Township Park
DirectionsTrails & water
19 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.2 mi
Loop Trail2.8 mi
Kettle & Kame Trail0.8 mi
Oak Opening Trail0.7 mi
Marsh Woods Trail0.5 mi
Powerline Trail0.4 mi
Magnificent Pines Trail0.4 mi
Old Field Trail0.3 mi
Gathje Hill Trail0.3 mi
Bobayundel Trail0.3 mi
Batts Pond Trail0.3 mi
9 more trails
Columbo Kettle Loop
0.3 miFern Oak Trail
0.2 miNot-So-Magnificent Pines Trail
0.2 miOxen Run
0.2 miWood Frog Trail
0.2 miBernie's Landing Trail
0.2 miWetland Boardwalk
0.1 miChestnut Point Trail
0.1 miBlack Oak Shortcut
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.1 mi
off-road bike paths
2.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Basketball
5Tennis
3Volleyball
2Pickleball
1Soccer
1Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Oshtemo 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 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
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 Oshtemo Township →
Next door
Oshtemo Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Texas Township28 miKalamazoo22 miOshtemo Township21 miAlmena Township7.1 miAlamo Township0.7 miKalamazoo Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oshtemo Township | 2% | 0.6 | 21 | 31% | B− |
| Kalamazoo | 9% | 0.9 | 18 | 95% | A |
| Texas Township | under 1% | 0.8 | 55 | 38% | B− |
| Alamo Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 126 | 26% | C+ |
| Kalamazoo Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 82% | C− |
| Almena Township | 2% | 0.2 | 84 | 25% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oshtemo Township
Where can I hike in Oshtemo Township?
The longest trail networks: Oshtemo Township Park, 4 miles; Lillian Anderson Arboretum, 3.6 miles; Wolf Tree Nature Trails, 1.8 miles; Drake's Farmstead Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oshtemo 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 Oshtemo Township’s trails?
Oshtemo Township Park and Lillian Anderson Arboretum don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oshtemo Township?
9.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of painted or protected lanes, 5.1 of off-road paths and 2.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Oshtemo Township?
11,399 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oshtemo Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 492 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oshtemo Township have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #451 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 Oshtemo 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 →