Somerset State Game Area
Park
743 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Somerset SGA
W. H. L. McCourtie Estate · Photo: JoannaPoe · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Somerset Township
Somerset Township has 944 acres of parks, 206 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Somerset State Game Area (0.6 mi). 5% of Somerset Township’s land is conserved, about 1,028 acres. 38% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #347 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,028 acres · of 33.4 sq mi of land
Trails
9.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
944 ac
206 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
38%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,250 ft
Bundy Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
3 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Somerset Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Somerset Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Somerset Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #347 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Somerset Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land206 acres of park per 1,000 residents (944 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home38% 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 63%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 51%
Water is 6% of Somerset Township’s area (2 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Somerset State Game Area, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kathe & Cali Memorial Park
Managed by Hillsdale County
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,028 conserved acres
5% of Somerset Township’s land. Water is left out: Somerset Township has 33.4 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Somerset Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife742 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits123 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)111 ac
Private owners51 ac
State Conservation Area · 742 acPrivate Conservation · 123 acConservation Easement · 111 acPrivate Park · 51 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 111 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 742 | Open |
| Grand River Fen Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 123 | Open |
| Lake Leann Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 51 | Restricted |
Things to do
12 places to go in Somerset Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Somerset Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Somerset Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Somerset Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Somerset Township
Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Somerset Township
Bundy Hill1,250 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Somerset Township
Lady In Blue DGCHours: Open 24 hours · In McCourtie Park
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Mackinac Path North0.2 mi
Mackinac Path South0.2 mi
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
3Tennis
2Basketball
1Soccer
1Baseball
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).
W. H. L. McCourtie EstateSite · listed 1992
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Somerset 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Somerset Township →
Next door
Somerset Township and its neighbors
Somerset Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset Township | 5% | 0.3 | 206 | 38% | B |
| Woodstock Township | 3% | 0.1 | 120 | 24% | C+ |
| Liberty Township | 4% | 0.3 | 329 | 29% | B |
| Wheatland Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 26 | 3% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Somerset Township
Where can I hike in Somerset Township?
The longest trail networks: Somerset State Game Area, 0.6 miles; McCourtie Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Somerset Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Somerset Township’s trails?
Somerset State Game Area and McCourtie Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Somerset Township?
6,815 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Somerset Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 944 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Somerset Township have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #347 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 Somerset 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 →