W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan State University
140 acres2.6 mi of trail
Lake Loop TrailBluebird TrailNorth Country TrailVernal Pool Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Richard and Mary Woodward Gregory House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ross Township
Ross Township has 2,995 acres of parks, 615 for every 1,000 residents
17% of Ross Township’s land is conserved, about 3,648 acres. 37 miles of mapped trail cross Ross Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary (2.6 mi), W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest (2.3 mi), Fort Custer Recreation Area (2 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #96 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
3,648 acres · of 33.4 sq mi of land
Trails
37 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,995 ac
615 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
2.8 mi lanes · 1.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
15
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ross Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ross Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ross Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #96 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 Ross Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (37 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land615 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,995 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home45% 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 89%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 86%
Water is 7% of Ross Township’s area (3 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
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 W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest
Managed by Michigan State University
1,357 acres2.3 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Fort Custer Recreation Area
Park
148 acres2 mi of trail
Green TrailNorth Country TrailNorth River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
North Country National Scenic Trail
Managed by National Park Service
74 acres0.9 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary140 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Michigan State University
DirectionsW.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest1,357 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Michigan State University
DirectionsFort Custer Recreation Area148 acres · 2 mi of trail
North Country National Scenic Trail74 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · National Park Service
Augusta Village Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Augusta
DirectionsAugusta Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area384 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Woodlawn Preserve7 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Ross Township Park2 acres · Ross Township
DirectionsSherman Lake Public Access2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
3,648 conserved acres
17% of Ross Township’s land. Water is left out: Ross Township has 33.4 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ross Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,381 ac
Private owners664 ac
State fish & wildlife385 ac
Town or city128 ac
National Park Service82 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 2,381 acPrivate Park · 664 acState Conservation Area · 385 acLocal Recreation Area · 123 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 82 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kellogg Biological Station and Experimental forest Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 1,649 | Open |
| Kellogg Forest Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 732 | Open |
| Augusta Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 385 | Open |
| Stonehedge Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 312 | Restricted |
| Gull Lake View Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 277 | Restricted |
| Camp Ben Johnston Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 123 | Open |
| North Country National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 82 | Open |
| Maple Hills Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 75 | Restricted |
| Woodlawn Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Open |
| Ross Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Ross Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ross Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ross Township
Sherman Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsCampgrounds in Ross Township
Sherman Lake YMCA
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 4.0 mi
North Country Trail8.9 mi
Lake Loop Trail1.2 mi
Green Trail0.6 mi
Bluebird Trail0.4 mi
North River Trail0.2 mi
Vernal Pool Trail0.1 mi
Esker Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
5Basketball
4Equestrian
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).
Richard and Mary Woodward Gregory HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ross 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Ross Township →
Next door
Ross Township and its neighbors
Ross Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Charleston Township61 miRoss Township37 miRichland Township4.7 miBedford Township4.1 miBarry Township2.5 miAugusta0.3 miSouth Gull Lake0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Township | 17% | 1.1 | 615 | 45% | A |
| Charleston Township | 3% | 1.8 | 397 | 46% | A− |
| Richland Township | 2% | 0.1 | 12 | 14% | C |
| South Gull Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bedford Township | 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 20% | C− |
| Augusta | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Barry Township | 1% | 0.1 | 17 | 26% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ross Township
Where can I hike in Ross Township?
The longest trail networks: W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, 2.6 miles; W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest, 2.3 miles; Fort Custer Recreation Area, 2 miles; North Country National Scenic Trail, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ross Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Ross Township’s trails?
W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ross Township?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes and 1.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ross Township?
11,104 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ross Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,007 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ross Township have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #96 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 Ross 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 →