Eastmanville Farm
Managed by Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission
266 acres5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Polkton Township
Polkton Township has 697 acres of parks, 291 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Eastmanville Farm (5 mi), Polkton Township Sheridan Park (1.1 mi), Burr Oak Landing West Open Space Area (1 mi). 39% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 9.2 miles of mapped trail cross Polkton Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns · #383 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
786 acres · of 39.3 sq mi of land
Trails
9.2 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
697 ac
291 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Polkton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Polkton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Polkton Township is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns, #383 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Polkton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land291 acres of park per 1,000 residents (697 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home39% 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 58%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 45%
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 Eastmanville Farm, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Polkton Township Sheridan Park
Managed by Polkton Charter Township
34 acres1.1 mi of trail
Yellow PathGreen Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Burr Oak Landing West Open Space Area
Managed by Ottawa County
142 acres1 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Burr Oak Landing East Open Space Area
Nature preserve
115 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Eastmanville Farm266 acres · 5 mi of trail · Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission
DirectionsPolkton Township Sheridan Park34 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Polkton Charter Township
DirectionsBurr Oak Landing West Open Space Area142 acres · 1 mi of trail · Ottawa County
DirectionsBurr Oak Landing East Open Space Area115 acres
DirectionsBass River Recreation Area3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Deer Creek Park3 acres · Ottawa County
DirectionsWho protects it
786 conserved acres
3% of Polkton Township’s land. Who manages Polkton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County339 ac
Town or city256 ac
Other state land80 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits76 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)35 ac
Local Park · 469 acLocal Resource Management Area · 126 acAgricultural Easement · 115 acConservation Easement · 76 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 192 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastmanville Farm Local Park | Town or city | 224 | Open |
| Bur Oak Landing Local Park | County | 210 | Open |
| Ripps Bayou Site Local Resource Management Area | County | 126 | Open |
| Sheridan Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Deer Creek Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Polkton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Polkton Township
Deer Creek Park Boat LaunchIn Deer Creek Park
DirectionsScenic views in Polkton Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Polkton Township
6 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 4.4 miUnpaved · 8.0 mi
Yellow Path0.9 mi
Green Path0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Polkton 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Polkton Township →
Next door
Polkton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Allendale Township16 miTallmadge Township16 miPolkton Township9.2 miWright Township3.5 miCrockery Township2.4 miRavenna Township1.9 miCoopersville0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polkton Township | 3% | 0.2 | 291 | 39% | B |
| Allendale Township | 4% | 0.5 | 59 | 51% | B+ |
| Coopersville | 2% | 0.1 | 10 | 84% | C+ |
| Crockery Township | 4% | 0.1 | 133 | 13% | C+ |
| Ravenna Township | 1% | 0.1 | 34 | 51% | C+ |
| Wright Township | 1% | 0.1 | 29 | 14% | C |
| Tallmadge Township | 5% | 0.5 | 99 | 34% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Polkton Township
Where can I hike in Polkton Township?
The longest trail networks: Eastmanville Farm, 5 miles; Polkton Township Sheridan Park, 1.1 miles; Burr Oak Landing West Open Space Area, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Polkton 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 Polkton Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Burr Oak Landing West Open Space Area. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Polkton Township?
18,118 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Polkton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 697 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Polkton Township have?
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #383 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 Polkton 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 →