Cedar River Preserve
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
535 acres1.3 mi of trail
Ingraham Preserve Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Solon Township
Solon Township has 467 acres of parks, 307 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Cedar River Preserve (1.3 mi), Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (1.2 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5.6 miles of mapped trail cross Solon Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
521 acres · of 26.4 sq mi of land
Trails
5.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
467 ac
307 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,165 ft
Gallagher Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Solon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Solon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Solon Township is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Solon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land307 acres of park per 1,000 residents (467 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home30% 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 55%
LessMore
Water is 11% of Solon Township’s area (3 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Cedar River Preserve, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,860 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Joe Vlack Memorial Park
Managed by Solon Township
39 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Ball Park
Managed by Solon Township
49 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Cedar River Preserve535 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsPere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit1,860 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsJoe Vlack Memorial Park39 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Solon Township
Ball Park49 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Solon Township
DirectionsSolon Township Beach Park1 acres
Who protects it
521 conserved acres
3% of Solon Township’s land. Water is left out: Solon Township has 26.4 square miles of land and 3.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Solon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits377 ac
State natural resources82 ac
Town or city48 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)14 ac
Private Conservation · 377 acState Conservation Area · 82 acLocal Park · 48 acConservation Easement · 14 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar River Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 340 | Open |
| Ansorge Solon Swamp State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 82 | Open |
| Cedar River Preserve CR Creek Addition Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 36 | Open |
| Joe Vlack Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Solon Township Playground Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Solon Township River Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Solon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Solon Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Solon Township
Solon Township Park Boat RampIn Solon Township Beach Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Solon Township
Gallagher Hill1,165 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Solon Township
Coldbrook Beach Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.4 mi
Ingraham Preserve Trail1.3 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
5Baseball
4Tennis
2Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Solon Township: May to August
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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 41 | 53 | 66 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Solon Township →
Next door
Solon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Long Lake Township45 miKasson Township11 miSolon Township5.6 miElmwood Township5.1 miCenterville Township3.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solon Township | 3% | 0.2 | 307 | 30% | B− |
| Elmwood Township | 5% | 0.3 | 39 | 53% | B |
| Kasson Township | 3% | 0.3 | 435 | 34% | B |
| Centerville Township | 12% | 0.1 | 329 | 9% | B |
| Long Lake Township | 4% | 1.5 | 88 | 48% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Solon Township
Where can I hike in Solon Township?
The longest trail networks: Cedar River Preserve, 1.3 miles; Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 1.2 miles; Joe Vlack Memorial Park, 0.3 miles; Ball Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Solon Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Solon Township’s trails?
Cedar River Preserve and Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Solon Township?
18,869 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Solon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 467 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Solon Township have?
Ahead of 55% 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 Solon 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 →