Wolcott Mill Metropark
Managed by Huron-Clinton Metroparks
3,010 acres20.6 mi of trail
Settlers' TrailMother Earth Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Wolcott Mill · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ray Township
Ray Township has 1,790 acres of parks, 474 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Wolcott Mill Metropark (20.6 mi). 9% of Ray Township’s land is conserved, about 2,170 acres. 25 miles of mapped trail cross Ray Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #207 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,170 acres · of 36.5 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,790 ac
474 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Ray Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ray Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ray Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #207 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 Ray Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land474 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,790 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home35% 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 78%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 71%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Wolcott Mill Metropark, with 20.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
W.C. Wetzel State Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
36 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,170 conserved acres
9% of Ray Township’s land. Who manages Ray Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,722 ac
Private owners312 ac
Other state land82 ac
State parks52 ac
Local Park · 1,722 acPrivate Park · 312 acConservation Easement · 82 acState Recreation Area · 52 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolcott Mill Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 1,707 | Open |
| Pine Valley Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 206 | Restricted |
| Northbrook Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 106 | Restricted |
| Wetzel Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 52 | Open |
| Ray Township Hall and Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Ray Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ray Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Ray Township
Camp RotaryIn Wolcott Mill Metropark · Huron-Clinton Metroparks
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 7.7 mi
Settlers' Trail2.1 mi
Mother Earth Trail0.4 mi
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
4Equestrian
2Baseball
1Football
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
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).
Wolcott MillBuilding · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ray Township: June, 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Ray Township →
Next door
Ray Township and its neighbors
Ray Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Washington Township52 miRay Township25 miMacomb Township13 miArmada Township4.3 miLenox Township2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Township | 9% | 0.7 | 474 | 35% | A− |
| Lenox Township | 9% | 0.1 | 84 | 40% | B |
| Washington Township | 17% | 1.5 | 92 | 59% | A |
| Macomb Township | 7% | 0.4 | 4 | 14% | C+ |
| Armada Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 28% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ray Township
Where can I hike in Ray Township?
The longest trail networks: Wolcott Mill Metropark, 20.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ray Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Ray Township’s trails?
Wolcott Mill Metropark and W.C. Wetzel State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ray Township?
16,704 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ray Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,790 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ray Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #207 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 Ray 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 →