Dahlem Environmental Education Center
Nature preserve
286 acres6.1 mi of trail
Woodland TrailGrassland TrailNature for All TrailButterfly Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto Dahlem Center
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Summit Township
6% of Summit Township’s land is conserved: 1,080 acres
The biggest trail networks: Dahlem Environmental Education Center (6.1 mi), Sparks Foundation County Park (0.6 mi). 42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 369 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #418 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,080 acres · of 29.2 sq mi of land
Trails
9.6 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
369 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
4.7 mi lanes · 6.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
15
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Summit Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Summit Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #418 of 701 in Michigan. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Summit Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% 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 land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (369 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13BParks close to home42% 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 53%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 40%
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 Dahlem Environmental Education Center, with 6.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sparks Foundation County Park
Park
80 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ella Sharp Park
Managed by City of Jackson
14 acres0.4 mi of trail
East RiverTrail #3
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Dahlem Environmental Education Center286 acres · 6.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSparks Foundation County Park80 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsElla Sharp Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Jackson
Vandercook Lake County Park22 acres
DirectionsGatewood Park8 acres · Gatewood Property Owner's Association
Falling Waters Trail County Park2 acres · Jackson County
DirectionsWho protects it
1,080 conserved acres
6% of Summit Township’s land. Who manages Summit Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners516 ac
County329 ac
Town or city232 ac
Other state land2 ac
Private Park · 501 acLocal Recreation Area · 449 acLocal Park · 127 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 304 | Restricted |
| Cascades Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 227 | Restricted |
| Dahlem Nature Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 215 | Open |
| Hickory Hills Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 184 | Restricted |
| The Cascades Park Local Park | County | 80 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | County | 21 | Open |
| Wellworth Park Local Park | Private owners | 15 | Open |
| Grande Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 13 | Restricted |
| Sharp Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Inter-City Bike Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Summit Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Summit Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Summit Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Summit Township
Fen OverlookIn Dahlem Environmental Education Center
DirectionsDisc golf in Summit Township
Jackson Collge Disc Golf
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.4 mi
Woodland Trail2.1 mi
Grassland Trail1.0 mi
Nature for All Trail0.4 mi
Butterfly Trail0.4 mi
Ecology Farm Trail0.4 mi
Woodland Trail Shortcut0.3 mi
Arboretum Trail0.3 mi
Grassland Trail Shortcut0.3 mi
East River0.2 mi
Grassland Trail Boardwalk0.2 mi
2 more trails
Connector
0.1 miTrail #3
0.1 miBiking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
24Tennis
11Baseball
2Pickleball
2Soccer
2Football
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Summit 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 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 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 Summit Township →
Next door
Summit Township and its neighbors
Summit Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Jackson16 miSummit Township9.6 miLiberty Township9.5 miLeoni Township7.2 miBlackman Township4.7 miSpring Arbor Township2.3 miNapoleon Township1.4 miVandercook Lake0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Township | 6% | 0.3 | 16 | 42% | B− |
| Jackson | 10% | 1.4 | 24 | 98% | A |
| Spring Arbor Township | 3% | 0.1 | 30 | 43% | C+ |
| Blackman Township | 1% | 0.1 | 5 | 17% | C− |
| Liberty Township | 4% | 0.3 | 329 | 29% | B |
| Vandercook Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Napoleon Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 49 | 31% | B− |
| Leoni Township | 11% | 0.1 | 162 | 34% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Summit Township
Where can I hike in Summit Township?
The longest trail networks: Dahlem Environmental Education Center, 6.1 miles; Sparks Foundation County Park, 0.6 miles; Ella Sharp Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Summit Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Summit Township’s trails?
Dahlem Environmental Education Center and Sparks Foundation County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Summit Township?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of painted or protected lanes and 6.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Summit Township?
12,046 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Summit Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 369 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Summit Township have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #418 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 Summit 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 →