Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
381 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon · Photo: Michael Tomko · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Pokagon Township
Pokagon Township has 443 acres of parks, 205 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary (1.9 mi). 22% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.2 miles of mapped trail cross Pokagon Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
677 acres · of 34.0 sq mi of land
Trails
2.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
443 ac
205 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Pokagon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pokagon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pokagon Township is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pokagon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land205 acres of park per 1,000 residents (443 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home22% 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 44%
LessMore
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 Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arthur Dodd Memorial Park
Park
49 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
677 conserved acres
3% of Pokagon Township’s land. Who manages Pokagon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits385 ac
Private owners292 ac
Private Park · 292 acPrivate Conservation · 235 acState Conservation Area · 151 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dowagiac Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 385 | Open |
| Hampshire Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 292 | Restricted |
Things to do
1 places to go in Pokagon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pokagon Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
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).
First Methodist Episcopal Church of PokagonBuilding · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Pokagon Township: April, July 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Pokagon Township →
Next door
Pokagon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Berrien Township12 miLaGrange Township3.3 miPokagon Township2.2 miDowagiac1.6 miSilver Creek Township1.4 miHoward Township0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokagon Township | 3% | 0.1 | 205 | 22% | C+ |
| Dowagiac | 7% | 0.4 | 49 | 97% | A− |
| Howard Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 32% | D |
| Silver Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 12 | 18% | C− |
| LaGrange Township | 2% | 0.1 | 64 | 66% | B− |
| Berrien Township | 3% | 0.3 | 78 | 43% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pokagon Township
Where can I hike in Pokagon Township?
The longest trail networks: Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary, 1.9 miles; Arthur Dodd Memorial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pokagon Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Pokagon Township’s trails?
Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary and Arthur Dodd Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Pokagon Township?
4,774 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pokagon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 443 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pokagon Township have?
Ahead of 44% 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 Pokagon 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 →