Cornish State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
465 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Porter Township
Porter Township has 288 acres of parks, 113 for every 1,000 residents
1.3 miles of mapped trail cross Porter Township. 22% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Porter Township’s land is conserved, about 332 acres.
Ahead of 35% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
332 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
1.3 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
288 ac
113 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
8
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Porter Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Porter Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Porter Township is ahead of 35% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Porter Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land113 acres of park per 1,000 residents (288 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 35%
LessMore
Water is 6% of Porter Township’s area (2 of 35 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
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 Cornish State Game Area, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bankson Lake Bog Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
40 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Cedar Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Huzzy Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Cornish State Game Area465 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Bankson Lake Bog Nature Sanctuary40 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Cedar Lake Public Access3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHuzzy Lake Public Access2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGravel Lake Public Access1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBankson Lake Public Access1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
332 conserved acres
2% of Porter Township’s land. Water is left out: Porter Township has 33.2 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Porter Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city238 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service161 ac
Other state land10 ac
Local Recreation Area · 238 acResource Management Area · 161 acConservation Easement · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Shiawassee Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 238 | Open |
| Van Buren County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 161 | Restricted |
Things to do
6 places to go in Porter Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Porter Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Porter Township
Bankson Lake Public Boat Launch
DirectionsCedar Lake Boat LaunchIn Cedar Lake Public Access
DirectionsGravel Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsHuzzy Lake Public Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Porter 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Porter Township →
Next door
Porter Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Antwerp Township3.0 miMarcellus Township2.6 miDecatur Township1.6 miPorter Township1.3 miPrairie Ronde Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 113 | 22% | C+ |
| Decatur Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 44% | D |
| Antwerp Township | 3% | 0.1 | 22 | 43% | C+ |
| Prairie Ronde Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 5% | D |
| Marcellus Township | 3% | 0.1 | 62 | 54% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Porter Township
Where can I hike in Porter Township?
The longest trail networks: Cornish State Game Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Porter 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 Porter Township’s trails?
Cornish State Game Area and Bankson Lake Bog Nature Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Porter Township?
10,904 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Porter Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 288 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Porter Township have?
Ahead of 35% 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 Porter 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 →