Saranac-Lowell State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
868 acres5.3 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fallasburg Covered Bridge · Photo: User:Lar (w:en:user:Lar) · CC BY 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Vergennes Township
Vergennes Township has 1,303 acres of parks, 268 for every 1,000 residents
12% of Vergennes Township’s land is conserved, about 2,587 acres. The biggest trail networks: Saranac-Lowell State Game Area (5.3 mi), Fallasburg Park (2.9 mi), Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience & Environmental Education Center (2.4 mi). 17 miles of mapped trail cross Vergennes Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #227 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
2,587 acres · of 34.5 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,303 ac
268 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.3 mi
7.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Vergennes Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vergennes Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vergennes Township is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #227 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 Vergennes Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land268 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,303 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home36% 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 76%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 68%
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 Saranac-Lowell State Game Area, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fallasburg Park
Managed by Kent County
295 acres2.9 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience & Environmental Education Center
Managed by Lowell Area Schools
85 acres2.4 mi of trail
Corncob Corner Trail (Purple)Connecting TrailConifer Crossing Trail (Yellow)Orange/Yellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Wege Foundation Natural Area
Nature preserve
61 acres1.3 mi of trail
Chickadee Chatter Loop (Orange)Trillium Ridge Trail (Blue)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Cooper Woodland Presesrve
Managed by Lowell School District
56 acres0.8 mi of trail
Cooper Woodland Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Saranac-Lowell State Game Area868 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFallasburg Park295 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Kent County
DirectionsWittenbach/Wege Agriscience & Environmental Education Center85 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Lowell Area Schools
Wege Foundation Natural Area61 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Cooper Woodland Presesrve56 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Lowell School District
DirectionsBoy Scout Cabin Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Who protects it
2,587 conserved acres
12% of Vergennes Township’s land. Who manages Vergennes Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife800 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits751 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)743 ac
County215 ac
Private owners128 ac
Town or city3 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,327 acState Conservation Area · 800 acLocal Park · 218 acPrivate Park · 128 acConservation Easement · 107 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,381 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saranac-Lowell State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 800 | Open |
| Fallasberg Park Local Park | County | 215 | Open |
| Arrowhead Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 128 | Restricted |
| Wege Natural Area for the Study of Ecology State Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 60 | Open |
| Sliding Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Vergennes Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Vergennes Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Vergennes Township
8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 0.9 miUnpaved · 1.0 mi
North Country Trail5.0 mi
Chickadee Chatter Loop (Orange)1.0 mi
Corncob Corner Trail (Purple)0.9 mi
Cooper Woodland Trail0.8 mi
Connecting Trail0.5 mi
Trillium Ridge Trail (Blue)0.4 mi
Conifer Crossing Trail (Yellow)0.4 mi
Orange/Yellow Trail0.1 mi
Orange/Yellow/Blue Trail0.1 mi
Orange/Blue Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
5Football
4Baseball
1Soccer
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Vergennes Township: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Vergennes Township →
Next door
Vergennes Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Forest Hills45 miAda Township31 miVergennes Township17 miLowell Township3.9 miLowell2.5 miKeene Township2.1 miGrattan Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vergennes Township | 12% | 0.5 | 268 | 36% | A− |
| Lowell | 8% | 0.9 | 52 | 99%+ | A |
| Ada Township | 10% | 0.9 | 129 | 32% | A− |
| Grattan Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 17 | 26% | C |
| Keene Township | 5% | 0.1 | 652 | 33% | B− |
| Forest Hills | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lowell Township | 5% | 0.1 | 147 | 44% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vergennes Township
Where can I hike in Vergennes Township?
The longest trail networks: Saranac-Lowell State Game Area, 5.3 miles; Fallasburg Park, 2.9 miles; Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience & Environmental Education Center, 2.4 miles; Wege Foundation Natural Area, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vergennes Township is conserved land?
12% 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 Vergennes Township’s trails?
Saranac-Lowell State Game Area and Fallasburg Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vergennes Township?
7.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Vergennes Township?
22,338 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vergennes Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,306 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vergennes Township have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #227 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 Vergennes 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 →