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Dixboro United Methodist ChurchDixboro United Methodist Church · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Superior Township

Superior Township has 1,823 acres of parks, 122 for every 1,000 residents

13% of Superior Township’s land is conserved, about 2,902 acres. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Superior Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #29 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Conserved land
13%
2,902 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,823 ac
122 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 9.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
2 boat launches

What kind of outdoors town is Superior Township?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Room to roam122 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical Michigan town, 5%.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 81% of U.S. towns.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Superior Township have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Superior Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #29 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.

A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Superior Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land122 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,823 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 96%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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.

12345678
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 Matthaei Botanical Gardens, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Managed by University of Michigan
241 acres6.3 mi of trail
Dix Pond / Fleming Creek TrailSam Graham Trees TrailPrairie TrailWetland Boardwalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve

Managed by Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
329 acres4.4 mi of trail
Superior Greenway Nature Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Cherry Hill Nature Preserve

Nature preserve
160 acres3.1 mi of trail
Big Loop TrailNorth TrailWoodland TrailHigh Bluff Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Kosch-Headwaters Preserve

Nature preserve
152 acres2 mi of trail
Woodland Loop TrailField Loop TrailSpringhill TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Trailhead Parking

BirdSong Nature Preserve

Managed by Superior Charter Township
312 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Conservancy Farm (SMLC)

Managed by Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
99 acres1.2 mi of trail
Conservancy Farm PathConnector Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Schroeter Park

Managed by Superior Charter Township
31 acres1.2 mi of trail
Blue TrailConnector Trail (Green Trail)Weatherbee Loop (Red Trail)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve

Managed by Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
98 acres0.9 mi of trail
Superior Greenway Nature PathConservancy Farm Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 30 parks & preserves
Matthaei Botanical Gardens241 acres · 6.3 mi of trail · University of Michigan
Directions
LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve329 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
Directions
Cherry Hill Nature Preserve160 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
Directions
Kosch-Headwaters Preserve152 acres · 2 mi of trail
Directions
BirdSong Nature Preserve312 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Superior Charter Township
Directions
Conservancy Farm (SMLC)99 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
Directions
Schroeter Park31 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Superior Charter Township
Directions
Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve98 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
Directions
Janice Anshuetz Highland Preserve52 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Directions
Weatherbee Woods Preserve84 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Washtenaw County
Secrest Preserve77 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
Directions
North Prospect Park14 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Meyer Preserve East54 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Washtenaw County
Springhill Nature Preserve29 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Harvest Moon Park89 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Directions
Forest Nature Area19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation
Oakbrook Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Norfolk Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Chapel Courtyard1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Meyer Preserve West129 acres · Washtenaw County
Directions
Superior Township Community Farm125 acres · Superior Charter Township
Directions
Staebler Farm County Park101 acres · Washtenaw County
Directions
Flying Pilgrims RC club31 acres
Community Park18 acres
Directions
Schock Park11 acres
Directions
Fireman's Park5 acres
Directions
Wing Nature Preserve2 acres
Appleridge Park1 acres · Charter Township of Ypsilanti
Directions
Brandon Park1 acres
Directions
Superior Center County Park1 acres
Directions
Who protects it

2,902 conserved acres

13% of Superior Township’s land. Who manages Superior Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

USDA easements (NRCS)934 ac
Town or city789 ac
County639 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits568 ac
Other state land383 ac
Private owners154 ac
Joint144 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,453 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,018 acLocal Park · 206 acLocal Other or Unknown · 159 acPrivate Park · 154 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,042 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Lefurge Woods Nature Preserve
Local Conservation Area
Land trusts & nonprofits334Open
Cherry Hill Nature Preserve
Local Conservation Area
Town or city161Open
Kosch Headwaters Preserve
Local Conservation Area
County154Open
Hickory Creek Golf Course
Private Park
Private owners154Restricted
Land
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city143Open
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
Local Conservation Area
Other state land135Open
Meyer Perserve West
Local Conservation Area
County130Closed
Staebler Farm
Local Park
County103Open
Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits100Open
Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy Preserve
Private Other or Unknown
Land trusts & nonprofits98Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

19 places to go in Superior Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Community gardens in Superior Township
Clay Hill Community Farm and GardensWillow Run Acres
Directions
Trails & water

23 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 21.0 mi
Superior Greenway Nature Path1.4 mi
Dix Pond / Fleming Creek Trail1.3 mi
Conservancy Farm Path1.0 mi
Woodland Loop Trail0.8 mi
Big Loop Trail0.7 mi
North Trail0.7 mi
Secrest Preserve Loop0.7 mi
Blue Trail0.7 mi
Woodland Trail0.5 mi
Weatherbee Loop (Red Trail)0.5 mi
13 more trails
Field Loop Trail
0.4 mi
Springhill Trail
0.4 mi
Hoyt G. Post Trail
0.3 mi
Sam Graham Trees Trail
0.3 mi
Prairie Trail
0.3 mi
Connector Trail (Green Trail)
0.3 mi
High Bluff Trail
0.2 mi
Wetland Trail
0.2 mi
Shortcut Trail
0.2 mi
Connector Path
0.1 mi
Superior Dam Portage
0.1 mi
Connector Trail
0.1 mi
Wetland Boardwalk
0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Dix PondpondFleming LakeFrain LakelakeMurray LakelakeRash PondpondHuron River
Biking & sports

9.7 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Tennis
7Baseball
4Basketball
4Pickleball
1Soccer

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

1 place on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Dixboro United Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1972
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Superior 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.410.511.813.314.615.315.013.912.411.09.79.1
High (°F)313445587079838174624836
Rain (in)2.11.82.33.13.73.43.33.23.12.82.52.0

February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Superior Township →

Next door

Superior Township and its neighbors

Superior Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Canton Township39 miSuperior Township36 miYpsilanti Township36 miAnn Arbor Township34 miSalem Township12 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Superior Township13%1.012293%A
Ann Arbor Township17%2.118984%A+
Ypsilanti Township11%1.23089%A
Salem Township7%0.32812%B−
Canton Township7%1.1975%B+

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Superior Township

Where can I hike in Superior Township?

The longest trail networks: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 6.3 miles; LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve, 4.4 miles; Cherry Hill Nature Preserve, 3.1 miles; Kosch-Headwaters Preserve, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Superior Township is conserved land?

13% 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 Superior Township’s trails?

Matthaei Botanical Gardens and LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Superior Township?

9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 9.3 of off-road paths.

Is there public land near Superior Township?

20,852 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Superior Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,824 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Superior Township have?

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #29 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 Superior Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →