Indian Springs Metropark
Park
1,881 acres16.8 mi of trail
Woodland TrailFarmland TrailSki TrailTurkeyfoot Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Springfield Township
Springfield Township has 1,582 acres of parks, 107 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Springfield Township’s land is conserved, about 4,018 acres. 32 miles of mapped trail cross Springfield Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Indian Springs Metropark (16.8 mi), Shiawassee Basin Preserve (5.8 mi), Springfield Oaks County Park (2 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #171 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
4,018 acres · of 35.4 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,582 ac
107 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.1 mi
5.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
21
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Springfield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Springfield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Springfield Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #171 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 Springfield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land107 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,582 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 82%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 76%
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 Indian Springs Metropark, with 16.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shiawassee Basin Preserve
Managed by Springfield Township
574 acres5.8 mi of trail
Northern TrailPreserve TrailNorthern Trail Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Springfield Oaks County Park
Park
318 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Timberland Swamp Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
240 acres1.4 mi of trail
Alicia's Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
River Run Preserve
Nature preserve
70 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Indian Springs Metropark1,881 acres · 16.8 mi of trail
DirectionsShiawassee Basin Preserve574 acres · 5.8 mi of trail · Springfield Township
DirectionsSpringfield Oaks County Park318 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsTimberland Swamp Nature Sanctuary240 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Michigan Nature Association
DirectionsRiver Run Preserve70 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMill Pond Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDavisburg State Game Area110 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGolden Preserve32 acres · Six Rivers Land Conservancy
Karl Schultz Park21 acres
DirectionsGreen Lake Park3 acres
DirectionsBig Lake Access1 acres
DirectionsRotary Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,018 conserved acres
18% of Springfield Township’s land. Who manages Springfield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,585 ac
Private owners880 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits666 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government457 ac
County286 ac
State fish & wildlife109 ac
Other state land57 ac
Local Recreation Area · 1,700 acPrivate Park · 701 acState Conservation Area · 452 acUnknown Easement · 387 acLocal Conservation Area · 360 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 422 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Springs Metropark Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1,519 | Restricted |
| Shiawassee Basin Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 456 | Open |
| Shephards Hollow Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 400 | Restricted |
| Heather Highlands Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 300 | Restricted |
| Timberland Swamp State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 247 | Open |
| Michigan Metro Girlscouts Campground Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 181 | Open |
| Springfield Oaks Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 170 | Restricted |
| Springfield Oaks County Park Local Park | County | 116 | Open |
| Davisburg State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 109 | Open |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 45 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Springfield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Springfield Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Springfield Township
Climbing WallIn Indian Springs Metropark
DirectionsFence MazeIn Indian Springs Metropark
DirectionsHillside SlideIn Indian Springs Metropark
DirectionsSpray 'n' PlayIn Indian Springs Metropark
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Springfield Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Springfield Township
Outwash OverlookIn Indian Springs Metropark
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 21 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.4 miHorses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 7.8 mi
Woodland Trail3.3 mi
Alicia's Trail1.5 mi
Farmland Trail1.3 mi
Northern Trail0.7 mi
Ski Trail0.5 mi
Turkeyfoot Trail0.4 mi
Pondside Trail0.3 mi
Lupine Loop0.3 mi
Preserve Trail0.2 mi
Crosscut Shortcut0.2 mi
4 more trails
Hunter's Ridge Shortcut
0.2 miSawmill Shortcut
0.2 miNorthern Trail Connector
0.1 miPond Promenade
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Big LakelakeBridge LakelakeDiscovery PondpondDixie LakelakeEliza LakelakeFoster LakelakeHogback LakelakeHuckleberry LakeKirby LakelakeLong LakelakeLower PondpondSans Souci LakeSchmitt LakelakeShiawassee LakelakeSoftwater LakeSusin LakelakeTimberland LakelakeVernal PondpondWau-Me-Gah LakeWeiss's PondpondShiawassee River
Biking & sports
5.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
2Beach volleyball
2Basketball
2Tennis
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Springfield 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Springfield Township →
Next door
Springfield Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
White Lake Township78 miGroveland Township38 miSpringfield Township32 miIndependence Township19 miRose Township12 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield Township | 18% | 0.9 | 107 | 34% | A− |
| White Lake Township | 28% | 2.3 | 150 | 61% | A |
| Independence Township | 14% | 0.5 | 54 | 52% | A− |
| Groveland Township | 10% | 1.1 | 362 | 33% | A− |
| Rose Township | 8% | 0.3 | 262 | 53% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Springfield Township
Where can I hike in Springfield Township?
The longest trail networks: Indian Springs Metropark, 16.8 miles; Shiawassee Basin Preserve, 5.8 miles; Springfield Oaks County Park, 2 miles; Timberland Swamp Nature Sanctuary, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Springfield Township is conserved land?
18% 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 Springfield Township’s trails?
Indian Springs Metropark and Shiawassee Basin Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Springfield Township?
5.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Springfield Township?
35,901 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Springfield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,582 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Springfield Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #171 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 Springfield 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 →