Kesling Nature Preserve
Managed by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
60 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Gargiulo · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Three Oaks Township
Three Oaks Township has 369 acres of parks, 167 for every 1,000 residents
1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Three Oaks Township. 67% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Three Oaks Township’s land is conserved, about 398 acres.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
398 acres · of 23.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
369 ac
167 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
67%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.1 mi
1.1 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Three Oaks Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Three Oaks Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Three Oaks Township is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Three Oaks Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land167 acres of park per 1,000 residents (369 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home67% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 54%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Three Oaks Conservation Area
Managed by Three Oaks Township
37 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Watkins Memorial Park
Managed by Village of Three Oaks
29 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Warren Woods State Park
Nature preserve
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Kesling Nature Preserve60 acres · Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
DirectionsThree Oaks Conservation Area37 acres · Three Oaks Township
DirectionsWatkins Memorial Park29 acres · Village of Three Oaks
DirectionsWarren Woods State Park3 acres
Dewey Cannon Park2 acres · Village of Three Oaks
DirectionsCarver Park1 acres · Village of Three Oaks
DirectionsDillard Park1 acres · Village of Three Oaks
DirectionsWho protects it
398 conserved acres
3% of Three Oaks Township’s land. Who manages Three Oaks Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners157 ac
Town or city123 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits70 ac
Other state land45 ac
State parks4 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 157 acLocal Park · 120 acPrivate Conservation · 52 acConservation Easement · 45 acForest Stewardship Easement · 18 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soni Springs Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 157 | Open |
| Three Oaks Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Kesling Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 52 | Open |
| Forest Lawn Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Warren Woods State Park State Park | State parks | 4 | Open |
| Chikaming Township Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Three Oaks Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Three Oaks Township
Timber Town PlaygroundIn Watkins Memorial Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Three Oaks Township
Three Oaks Community GardenVillage of Three Oaks
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
5Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Three Oaks 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Three Oaks Township →
Next door
Three Oaks Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Oaks Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 167 | 67% | B− |
| New Buffalo Township | 7% | 0.8 | 205 | 75% | A |
| Chikaming Township | 12% | 1.5 | 170 | 63% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Three Oaks Township
How much of Three Oaks Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Three Oaks Township’s trails?
Kesling Nature Preserve and Three Oaks Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Three Oaks Township?
1.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Three Oaks Township?
4,725 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Three Oaks Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 369 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Three Oaks Township have?
Ahead of 54% 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 Three Oaks 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 →