Lower Huron Metropark
Park
789 acres5.1 mi of trail
Tawata Trace Rustic Trails
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: PeRshGo · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Van Buren Township
Van Buren Township has 1,261 acres of parks, 42 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lower Huron Metropark (5.1 mi), Grace Lake Central Park (1.1 mi), Van Buren Park (1 mi). 7% of Van Buren Township’s land is conserved, about 1,534 acres. 20 miles of mapped trail cross Van Buren Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #253 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,534 acres · of 34.0 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,261 ac
42 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 4 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Van Buren Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Van Buren Township is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #253 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Van Buren Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land42 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,261 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home55% 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 73%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 64%
Water is 6% of Van Buren Township’s area (2 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Lower Huron Metropark, with 5.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grace Lake Central Park
Park
67 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Lower Huron Metropark789 acres · 5.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrace Lake Central Park67 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVan Buren Park81 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeck Fields22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiggs Heritage Park31 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFrench Landing Historical Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Van Buren Charter Township
DirectionsGrace Lake Southern Grove3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHeritage Oaks Nature Preserve25 acres · Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
Belleville West Launch17 acres
DirectionsQuirk Park12 acres
DirectionsGrace Lake Southeast Green2 acres
DirectionsHaggerty Neighborhood Park1 acres
Pickle Park1 acres
Harris Park1 acres
DirectionsHeraty Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,534 conserved acres
7% of Van Buren Township’s land. Water is left out: Van Buren Township has 34.0 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Van Buren Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city982 ac
Private owners324 ac
Other state land182 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits27 ac
State natural resources18 ac
Local Park · 982 acPrivate Park · 324 acConservation Easement · 182 acPrivate Conservation · 27 acState Conservation Area · 18 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 183 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Huron Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 816 | Open |
| Woodlands of Van Buren Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 136 | Restricted |
| Van Buren Park Local Park | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| Harbour Club Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 122 | Restricted |
| Pine Creek Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 66 | Restricted |
| Heritage Oaks Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 27 | Restricted |
| Quirk Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Unknown Park State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 18 | Open |
| French Landing Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Haggerty/Tyler Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
31 places to go in Van Buren Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Van Buren Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Van Buren Township
25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Van Buren Township
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Van Buren Township
Belleville West Launch
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.5 miUnpaved · 6.5 mi
Tawata Trace Rustic Trails0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
off-road bike paths
4.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Baseball
9Basketball
5Pickleball
4Tennis
4Soccer
2Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Van Buren Township: April and June 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.
| 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) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Van Buren Township →
Next door
Van Buren Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Canton Township39 miYpsilanti Township36 miVan Buren Township20 miSumpter Township19 miRomulus9.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Township | 7% | 0.6 | 42 | 55% | B+ |
| Canton Township | 7% | 1.1 | 9 | 75% | B+ |
| Ypsilanti Township | 11% | 1.2 | 30 | 89% | A |
| Romulus | 4% | 0.3 | 8 | 42% | C+ |
| Sumpter Township | 5% | 0.5 | 116 | 23% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Van Buren Township
Where can I hike in Van Buren Township?
The longest trail networks: Lower Huron Metropark, 5.1 miles; Grace Lake Central Park, 1.1 miles; Van Buren Park, 1 miles; Beck Fields, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Van Buren Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Van Buren Township’s trails?
Lower Huron Metropark and Grace Lake Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Van Buren Township?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths and 4.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Van Buren Township?
21,214 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Van Buren Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,261 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Van Buren Township have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #253 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 Van Buren 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 →