Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
61% of Pentland Township’s land is conserved, about 41,694 acres. 41,939 acres are parks and preserves, 16,440 per 1,000 residents. 121 miles of mapped trail cross Pentland Township, 1.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #40 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pentland Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #40 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Lake Superior State Forest - Newberry Unit, with 80.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
61% of Pentland Township’s land. Who manages Pentland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 41,619 | Open |
| Newberry Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 74 | Restricted |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 26 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 40 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Pentland Township →
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentland Township | 61% | 1.1 | 16,440 | 50% | A |
| McMillan Township | 72% | 1.4 | 98,176 | 88% | A+ |
| Garfield Township | 1% | 1.5 | 403 | 22% | B |
| Lakefield Township | 21% | 0.8 | 7,370 | 40% | A |
| Hulbert Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hudson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Newberry Unit, 80.1 miles; Hiawatha Sportsman's Club, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
61% 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.
Lake Superior State Forest - Newberry Unit and Hiawatha Sportsman's Club don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
187,199 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pentland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 41,939 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Pentland Township neighbors.
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 →