Kate Palmer Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Audubon Society
52 acres0.8 mi of trail
Orange Diamond TrailRed Diamond Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Spring Arbor Township
Spring Arbor Township has 255 acres of parks, 30 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Kate Palmer Wildlife Sanctuary (0.8 mi). 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Spring Arbor Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 43% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns · #523 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
558 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
2.3 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
255 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.3 mi
7.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Spring Arbor Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Spring Arbor Township is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns, #523 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Spring Arbor Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (255 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home43% 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 40%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 25%
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 Kate Palmer Wildlife Sanctuary, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Falling Waters Historical Park
Managed by Township of Spring Arbor
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Falling Waters Trail Trailhead Parking
Managed by Jackson County
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
558 conserved acres
3% of Spring Arbor Township’s land. Who manages Spring Arbor Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners299 ac
County182 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)28 ac
Town or city15 ac
Private Park · 299 acLocal Park · 197 acPrivate Conservation · 35 acConservation Easement · 28 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lime Lake Park Local Park | County | 182 | Open |
| Hickory Hills Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 153 | Restricted |
| Arbor Hills Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 146 | Restricted |
| Kate Palmer Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 35 | Open |
| Gallagher Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Spring Arbor Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Spring Arbor Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Spring Arbor Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Spring Arbor Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Spring Arbor Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.3 mi
Orange Diamond Trail0.4 mi
Red Diamond Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
7Baseball
2Soccer
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Spring Arbor Township: July 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Spring Arbor Township →
Next door
Spring Arbor Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Arbor Township | 3% | 0.1 | 30 | 43% | C+ |
| Summit Township | 6% | 0.3 | 16 | 42% | B− |
| Concord Township | 4% | 0.2 | 1 | 21% | C− |
| Hanover Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 14% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Spring Arbor Township
Where can I hike in Spring Arbor Township?
The longest trail networks: Kate Palmer Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.8 miles; Falling Waters Historical Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Spring Arbor 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 Spring Arbor Township’s trails?
Kate Palmer Wildlife Sanctuary and Falling Waters Historical Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Spring Arbor Township?
7.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Spring Arbor Township?
3,757 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Spring Arbor Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 255 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Spring Arbor Township have?
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #523 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 Spring Arbor 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 →