Shiawassee River State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,023 acres5.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Swan Creek Township
Swan Creek Township has 4,295 acres of parks, 1,814 for every 1,000 residents
31% of Swan Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 4,476 acres. The biggest trail networks: Shiawassee River State Game Area (5.3 mi). 32% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
4,476 acres · of 23.0 sq mi of land
Trails
8.9 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,295 ac
1,814 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.0 mi
6.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Swan Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Swan Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Swan Creek Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. 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 Swan Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1,814 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,295 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home32% 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 81%
LessMore
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 Shiawassee River State Game Area, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hartley Outdoor Recreation Center
Park
150 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lakefield Park
Park
35 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,476 conserved acres
31% of Swan Creek Township’s land. Who manages Swan Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife3,813 ac
Private owners321 ac
Town or city144 ac
State natural resources110 ac
Other state land88 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,923 acPrivate Park · 229 acLocal Recreation Area · 103 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 92 acAgricultural Easement · 88 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 88 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiawassee River State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,813 | Open |
| Hartley Outdoor Education Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 103 | Open |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 92 | Open |
| Dubuck Conservation Club Private Park | Private owners | 80 | Open |
| Swan Creek Club Private Park | Private owners | 79 | Open |
| Shiawassee River State Game Area 5 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 74 | Restricted |
| Swan Creek Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| River Bend Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 40 | Open |
| Shiawassee River State Game Area 6 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 36 | Restricted |
| Shiawassee Conservation Club Private Park | Private owners | 30 | Open |
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Baseball
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Swan Creek 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Swan Creek Township →
Next door
Swan Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
James Township23 miSt. Charles Township14 miSwan Creek Township8.9 miThomas Township6.1 miSt. Charles1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan Creek Township | 31% | 0.4 | 1,814 | 32% | A− |
| St. Charles Township | 12% | 0.4 | 862 | 45% | A− |
| Thomas Township | 5% | 0.2 | 35 | 30% | B− |
| James Township | 52% | 1.4 | 1,912 | 14% | A |
| St. Charles | 3% | 0.5 | 23 | 77% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Swan Creek Township
Where can I hike in Swan Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Shiawassee River State Game Area, 5.3 miles; Hartley Outdoor Recreation Center, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Swan Creek Township is conserved land?
31% 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 Swan Creek Township’s trails?
Shiawassee River State Game Area and Hartley Outdoor Recreation Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Swan Creek Township?
6.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Swan Creek Township?
18,071 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Swan Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,295 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Swan Creek Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Swan Creek 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 →