Waterloo State Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,686 acres20.1 mi of trail
Waterloo-Pinckney TrailSugar LoopLakeview TrailOak Wood Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sylvan Township
Sylvan Township has 2,909 acres of parks, 843 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Sylvan Township’s land is conserved, about 3,192 acres. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Sylvan Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Waterloo State Recreation Area (20.1 mi), Koenn Preserve (1.7 mi), Squiers Preserve (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #103 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,192 acres · of 32.6 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,909 ac
843 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
52%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
13
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sylvan Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sylvan Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sylvan Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #103 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 Sylvan Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land843 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,909 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home52% 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 88%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 85%
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.
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 Waterloo State Recreation Area, with 20.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Koenn Preserve
Managed by Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission
80 acres1.7 mi of trail
Yellow TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Squiers Preserve
Managed by Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission
55 acres0.9 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Goose Lake State Game Area
Park
198 acres0.6 mi of trail
Yellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Waterloo State Recreation Area2,686 acres · 20.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsKoenn Preserve80 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission
DirectionsSquiers Preserve55 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission
Goose Lake State Game Area198 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCavanaugh Lake County Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPinckney State Recreation Area65 acres
Who protects it
3,192 conserved acres
15% of Sylvan Township’s land. Who manages Sylvan Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks2,726 ac
State fish & wildlife196 ac
County153 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits111 ac
Private owners53 ac
State natural resources2 ac
Other state land1 ac
State Recreation Area · 2,728 acState Conservation Area · 196 acConservation Easement · 163 acLocal Conservation Area · 56 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 53 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 111 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 2,728 | Open |
| Goose Lake State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 196 | Open |
| Squiers Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 56 | Open |
| Lighthouse Harbor Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 53 | Open |
| Cavanaugh Lake County Park Local Park | County | 47 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Sylvan Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sylvan Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Sylvan Township
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Sylvan Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Sylvan Township
Horsemen's Equestrian CampgroundIn Waterloo State Recreation Area · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miHorses · 2.1 miUnpaved · 13.1 mi
Waterloo-Pinckney Trail4.9 mi
Sugar Loop1.1 mi
Lakeview Trail1.0 mi
Red Trail0.9 mi
Yellow Trail0.9 mi
Oak Wood Trail0.8 mi
Spring Pond Trail0.7 mi
Lowland Trail0.6 mi
West Offroad0.6 mi
Bog Trail0.5 mi
6 more trails
Hickory Hills Trail
0.5 miTrailhawk-X
0.4 miBlue Trail
0.4 miOld Field Trail
0.2 miSugarloaf Hill Trail
0.2 miSugar South E-Route
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Sugar LoopBike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
2Basketball
2Tennis
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Sylvan Township
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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Sylvan Township →
Next door
Sylvan Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lyndon Township78 miWaterloo Township55 miSylvan Township27 miGrass Lake Township24 miSharon Township17 miChelsea6.9 miLima Township5.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvan Township | 15% | 0.8 | 843 | 52% | A |
| Chelsea | 13% | 1.9 | 57 | 79% | A |
| Lima Township | 8% | 0.1 | 180 | 21% | B |
| Sharon Township | 8% | 0.5 | 1,023 | 33% | B+ |
| Lyndon Township | 52% | 2.4 | 3,830 | 90% | A+ |
| Waterloo Township | 20% | 1.1 | 2,036 | 70% | A |
| Grass Lake Township | 11% | 0.5 | 493 | 43% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sylvan Township
Where can I hike in Sylvan Township?
The longest trail networks: Waterloo State Recreation Area, 20.1 miles; Koenn Preserve, 1.7 miles; Squiers Preserve, 0.9 miles; Goose Lake State Game Area, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sylvan Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Sylvan Township’s trails?
Waterloo State Recreation Area and Koenn Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sylvan Township?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: Sugar Loop.
Is there public land near Sylvan Township?
44,278 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sylvan Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,909 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sylvan Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #103 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 Sylvan 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 →