Pinckney State Recreation Area
Park
2,362 acres25.9 mi of trail
Potawatomi TrailYurt TrailPotawatomi & Crooked Lake TrailPotawatomi Trail Shortcut
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Putnam Township
Putnam Township has 4,855 acres of parks, 619 for every 1,000 residents
29% of Putnam Township’s land is conserved, about 6,420 acres. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Putnam Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Pinckney State Recreation Area (25.9 mi), Gregory State Game Area (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #48 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
6,420 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,855 ac
619 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
6.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
13
1 beach · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Putnam Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Putnam Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Putnam Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #48 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Putnam Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land619 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,855 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home58% 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 93%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 93%
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 Pinckney State Recreation Area, with 25.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gregory State Game Area
Nature preserve
1,103 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Church Park
Managed by Church
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Brighton State Recreation Area
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Pinckney State Recreation Area2,362 acres · 25.9 mi of trail
DirectionsGregory State Game Area1,103 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsChurch Park6 acres · Church
Brighton State Recreation Area2 acres
Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTown Square Park2 acres
Who protects it
6,420 conserved acres
29% of Putnam Township’s land. Who manages Putnam Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land3,720 ac
Private owners1,495 ac
State fish & wildlife1,105 ac
State natural resources58 ac
Joint48 ac
County6 ac
Town or city2 ac
State Recreation Area · 2,417 acState Conservation Area · 2,345 acUnknown · 986 acPrivate Park · 362 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 147 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinckney Recreation Area State Recreation Area | Other state land | 2,415 | Open |
| Edwin S. George Biological Station State Conservation Area | Other state land | 1,185 | Open |
| Gregory State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,105 | Open |
| Camp Innisfree Unknown | Private owners | 986 | Open |
| Timber Trace Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 362 | Restricted |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 147 | Open |
| Fresh Air Camp Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 117 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel 28 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 56 | Restricted |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 6 | Open |
| Brighton State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Putnam Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Putnam Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Putnam Township
Pinckney Community PlaygroundIn Town Square Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Putnam Township
Arise Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Putnam Township
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Putnam Township
Camp Innisfree
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.7 miHorses · 15.6 miUnpaved · 19.5 mi
Potawatomi Trail6.8 mi
Yurt Trail0.3 mi
Potawatomi & Crooked Lake Trail0.3 mi
Potawatomi Trail Shortcut0.2 mi
Old College0.1 mi
Biking & sports
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Potawatomi Trail (Bike)Bike route
7 miPotawatomi Winter Trail (Bike)Bike route
5.8 miYurt Trail (Bike)Bike route
0.3 miCrooked Lake Trail (Bike)Bike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
10Tennis
5Baseball
2Football
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Putnam Township: August 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Putnam Township →
Next door
Putnam Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hamburg Township90 miDexter Township62 miPutnam Township36 miUnadilla Township5.7 miMarion Township3.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Township | 29% | 1.1 | 619 | 58% | A |
| Unadilla Township | 19% | 0.2 | 1,257 | 62% | A− |
| Hamburg Township | 29% | 2.8 | 222 | 54% | A |
| Marion Township | 4% | 0.1 | 59 | 48% | B− |
| Dexter Township | 27% | 2.1 | 808 | 51% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Putnam Township
Where can I hike in Putnam Township?
The longest trail networks: Pinckney State Recreation Area, 25.9 miles; Gregory State Game Area, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Putnam Township is conserved land?
29% 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 Putnam Township’s trails?
Pinckney State Recreation Area and Gregory State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Putnam Township?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: Potawatomi Trail (Bike), Potawatomi Winter Trail (Bike) and Yurt Trail (Bike).
Is there public land near Putnam Township?
44,386 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Putnam Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,845 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Putnam Township have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #48 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 Putnam 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 →