Barry State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,896 acres6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rutland Township
Rutland Township has 4,988 acres of parks, 1,181 for every 1,000 residents
26% of Rutland Township’s land is conserved, about 5,757 acres. The biggest trail networks: Barry State Game Area (6 mi). 25% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #224 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
5,757 acres · of 35.0 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,988 ac
1,181 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Rutland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rutland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rutland Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #224 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 Rutland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,181 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,988 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home25% 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 77%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 68%
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 Barry State Game Area, with 6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heath Road Preserve
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
159 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Edger Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
150 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ronald H. Warner Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Audubon Society
109 acres
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Barry State Game Area4,896 acres · 6 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Heath Road Preserve159 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Edger Waterfowl Production Area150 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsRonald H. Warner Sanctuary109 acres · Michigan Audubon Society
Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary106 acres · Michigan Audubon
Airport Road Boating Access Site5 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Carter Lake Preserve2 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Carter Lake Public Access2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
5,757 conserved acres
26% of Rutland Township’s land. Who manages Rutland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife4,652 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits426 ac
Private owners359 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service315 ac
County158 ac
State natural resources6 ac
Other state land1 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,652 acPrivate Conservation · 381 acPrivate Park · 359 acResource Management Area · 315 acLocal Recreation Area · 158 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 4,652 | Open |
| Barry County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 315 | Restricted |
| River Bend Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 184 | Restricted |
| Heath Rd Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 161 | Restricted |
| Barry Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 158 | Restricted |
| Otis Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 122 | Open |
| Gun Ridge Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 104 | Restricted |
| Ronald Warner Nature Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 98 | Open |
| Barry County Conservation Club Private Park | Private owners | 71 | Open |
| Camp Algonquin Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 45 | Restricted |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
2 places to go in Rutland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Rutland Township
Carter Lake Boat LaunchIn Carter Lake Public Access
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Rutland Township
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Equestrian
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rutland Township: June 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 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
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 Rutland Township →
Next door
Rutland Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Yankee Springs Township60 miHastings15 miIrving Township15 miRutland Township12 miHastings Township6.3 miHope Township3.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutland Township | 26% | 0.3 | 1,181 | 25% | A− |
| Hastings | 9% | 2.8 | 20 | 79% | A |
| Hope Township | 7% | 0.1 | 477 | 19% | B |
| Yankee Springs Township | 64% | 1.9 | 2,329 | 56% | A+ |
| Hastings Township | 2% | 0.2 | 125 | 18% | B− |
| Irving Township | 18% | 0.4 | 1,061 | 56% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rutland Township
Where can I hike in Rutland Township?
The longest trail networks: Barry State Game Area, 6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rutland Township is conserved land?
26% 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 Rutland Township’s trails?
Barry State Game Area and Heath Road Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rutland Township?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rutland Township?
30,267 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rutland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,988 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rutland Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #224 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 Rutland 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 →