Pentwater State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,539 acres4.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Navigation Structures at Pentwater Harbor · Photo: Cpmwjune · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Pentwater Township
Pentwater Township has 1,676 acres of parks, 1,129 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Pentwater Township’s land is conserved, about 1,735 acres. 19 miles of mapped trail cross Pentwater Township, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Pentwater State Game Area (4.3 mi), Charles Mears State Park (3.1 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
1,735 acres · of 13.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,676 ac
1,129 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.2 mi
7.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Pentwater Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pentwater Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pentwater Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pentwater Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land1,129 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,676 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks 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 96%
LessMore
Water is 6% of Pentwater Township’s area (1 of 14 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 19%.
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 Pentwater State Game Area, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Charles Mears State Park
Park
52 acres3.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
West Michigan Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
21 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Pentwater State Game Area1,539 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCharles Mears State Park52 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Michigan Underwater Preserve21 acres
DirectionsPentwater Auxillary Sports Fields9 acres
DirectionsPentwater Harbor Greenway2 acres
DirectionsPentwater Sporting Park2 acres
DirectionsCedar Point Park1 acres · Oceana County
Village Green and Gazebo1 acres
DirectionsChannel Lane Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,735 conserved acres
20% of Pentwater Township’s land. Water is left out: Pentwater Township has 13.3 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Pentwater Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,440 ac
Town or city163 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits64 ac
State parks43 ac
Other state land25 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,440 acLocal Recreation Area · 162 acConservation Easement · 89 acState Park · 43 acLocal Park · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 89 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pentwater River State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,440 | Open |
| Lake Michigan United Methodist Camp Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 162 | Open |
| Mears State Park State Park | State parks | 43 | Open |
| Cedar Point Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Pentwater Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Pentwater Township
Charles Mears State Park BeachIn Charles Mears State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Pentwater Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Pentwater Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Pentwater Township
Lake Michigan Family CampgroundMethodist Church
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Pentwater Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Basketball
2Tennis
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Navigation Structures at Pentwater HarborStructure · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Pentwater Township: May 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 41 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Pentwater Township →
Next door
Pentwater Township and its neighbors
Pentwater Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentwater Township | 20% | 1.4 | 1,129 | 77% | A+ |
| Pentwater | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Weare Township | 9% | 0.4 | 258 | 14% | B+ |
| Golden Township | 20% | 0.5 | 2,562 | 70% | A |
| Summit 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.
Questions about parks and trails in Pentwater Township
Where can I hike in Pentwater Township?
The longest trail networks: Pentwater State Game Area, 4.3 miles; Charles Mears State Park, 3.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pentwater Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Pentwater Township’s trails?
Pentwater State Game Area and Charles Mears State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pentwater Township?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pentwater Township?
14,575 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pentwater Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,676 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pentwater Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Pentwater 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 →