Stevenson Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
DOutdoors
Outdoors in Vernon Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Vernon Township
1 acre is park or preserve, 0.7 per 1,000 residents. 12% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.1 miles of mapped trail cross Vernon Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 13% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
445 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1 ac
0.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
12%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.3 mi
1.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vernon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vernon Township is ahead of 13% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; conserved land comes closest.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Vernon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land0.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1 acre) · MI 33 · U.S. 13DParks close to home12% 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 13%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Vernon Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. 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.
Who protects it
445 conserved acres
2% of Vernon Township’s land. Who manages Vernon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)424 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits20 ac
Conservation Easement · 424 acOther Easement · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 445 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
Things to do
1 places to go in Vernon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Vernon Township
Stevenson Lake Boat LaunchIn Stevenson Lake Public Access
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 0.6 mi
Horse Track0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in Vernon 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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Vernon Township →
Next door
Vernon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Grant Township7.2 miSheridan Township3.3 miGilmore Township2.3 miVernon Township2.1 miClare1.2 miWise Township1.0 miIsabella Township0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Township | 2% | 0.1 | 1 | 12% | D |
| Clare | 3% | 0.3 | 32 | 99%+ | A− |
| Wise Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 112 | 16% | C |
| Gilmore Township | 1% | 0.1 | 63 | 12% | C |
| Grant Township | 2% | 0.2 | 52 | 23% | C+ |
| Isabella Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 19% | D |
| Sheridan Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vernon Township
How much of Vernon Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Vernon Township’s trails?
Stevenson Lake Public Access doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vernon Township?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Vernon Township?
4,031 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vernon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vernon Township have?
Ahead of 13% 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 Vernon 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 →