Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area
Park
495 acres6.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Waterford Village Historic District · Photo: Fanfair · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Waterford Township
Waterford Township has 42 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area (6.9 mi), Hess-Hathaway Park (5.4 mi), Drayton Plains Nature Center (5.2 mi). 8% of Waterford Township’s land is conserved, about 1,521 acres. 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #136 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,521 acres · of 30.6 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,492 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
42 mi
42 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
28
14 beaches · 74 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Waterford Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Waterford Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waterford Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #136 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Waterford Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,492 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home85% 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 86%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 81%
Water is 13% of Waterford Township’s area (5 of 35 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 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 Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area, with 6.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Drayton Plains Nature Center
Managed by Waterford Township
139 acres5.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Waterford Oaks
Park
182 acres3.5 mi of trail
Waterford Oaks Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Elizabeth Lake Woods
Managed by Waterford Parks
336 acres2.2 mi of trail
Donnies Park PathDirtbike Track
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dodge #4 State Park
Park
62 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Marion Street Park
Park
17 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Clinton River Park South
Park
37 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 29 parks & preserves
Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area495 acres · 6.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHess-Hathaway Park165 acres · 5.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDrayton Plains Nature Center139 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · Waterford Township
DirectionsWaterford Oaks182 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsElizabeth Lake Woods336 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Waterford Parks
DirectionsDodge #4 State Park62 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMarion Street Park17 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Clinton River Park South37 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsFish Hatchery Park / Waterford Township Historical Society Historic Village9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMaceday Lake Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Donelson Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Herrington park35 acres
DirectionsRotary Park31 acres
DirectionsLions Park27 acres
Shell Park11 acres
Waterford Recreation Center9 acres
Clinton River Canoe Site8 acres · Waterford Township
DirectionsOptimist Park7 acres
DirectionsLoon Lake Boating Access Site7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPleasant Manor Park5 acres
Lake Oakland Access4 acres
DirectionsStaff Wildlife Sanctuary3 acres
Hexagon Park3 acres
Crescent Lake Access2 acres
DirectionsFlora Park1 acres
Crescent Lake Country Club Association1 acres
DirectionsIndian Punch Bowl Park1 acres
Maceday Lake Access1 acres
DirectionsW.L.L.D.H.A. (Watkins Lake Lakewood Homeowners Association)1 acres
Who protects it
1,521 conserved acres
8% of Waterford Township’s land. Water is left out: Waterford Township has 30.6 square miles of land and 4.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Waterford Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources563 ac
Town or city411 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits265 ac
County245 ac
Other state land121 ac
Private owners36 ac
State Recreation Area · 495 acLocal Park · 461 acPrivate Park · 270 acUnknown Easement · 133 acConservation Easement · 121 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 134 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 470 | Open |
| Hess-Hathaway Park Local Park | Town or city | 166 | Open |
| Waterford Oaks County Park Local Park | County | 139 | Open |
| Drayton Plains Nature Center Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 132 | Open |
| Pontiac Country Club Private Park | County | 101 | Restricted |
| Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Herrington Park Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| Dodge #4 State Park State Park | State natural resources | 68 | Open |
| Waterford Civic Center Warming House Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Silver Lake Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 36 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
116 places to go in Waterford Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Waterford Township
14 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Waterford Township
Big Wooden TrainIn Fish Hatchery Park / Waterford Township Historical Society Historic Village
DirectionsDestination Playground at Waterford Oaks County ParkIn Waterford Oaks
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Waterford Township
Pontiac Lake Dog ParkIn Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsPontiac Lake Dog ParkIn Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area
DirectionsBoat launches in Waterford Township
Canoe / Kayak Launch
DirectionsDodge Park #4 Boat RampFee
DirectionsDodge Park #4 Boat RampFee
DirectionsDodge Park #4 Boat RampFee
DirectionsKayak/SUP/Canoe Put-InFee
DirectionsLake Oakland Boating AccessFee
DirectionsLoon Lake Boating AccessFee
DirectionsMaceday Lake Boating AccessFee
Directions74 boat launches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Scenic views in Waterford Township
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Waterford Township
Venice of the Lakes Beach
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Waterford Township
Waterford Community GardenIn Hess-Hathaway Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 28 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 13.6 miUnpaved · 2.2 mi
Waterford Oaks Trail1.4 mi
Donnies Park Path0.3 mi
Boardwalk0.1 mi
Dirtbike Track0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Adams LakepondClam LakelakeCrescent LakelakeEagle LakelakeElizabeth LakelakeFiddle LakelakeGeneva LakelakeHess LakelakeHuntoon LakelakeLake GoodrichlakeLake OaklandlakeLoon LakelakeLotus LakelakeMaceday LakelakeMohawk LakelakeMorgan LakelakeOtter LakelakePleasant LakelakeRainbow LakelakeSchoolhouse LakelakeScott LakelakeSilver LakelakeWatkins LakelakeWhite Horse LakelakeWilliams LakelakeWoodhull LakelakeWormer LakelakeClinton River
Biking & sports
42 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
42 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
29Baseball
25Tennis
12Soccer
9Basketball
8Beach volleyball
6Volleyball
6Football
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Waterford Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Waterford Township: August 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Waterford Township →
Next door
Waterford Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
White Lake Township78 miWest Bloomfield Township65 miOrion Township64 miWaterford Township42 miPontiac28 miAuburn Hills25 miIndependence Township19 miLake Angelus1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford Township | 8% | 1.4 | 21 | 85% | A |
| Lake Angelus | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| West Bloomfield Township | 8% | 2.4 | 13 | 87% | A |
| Independence Township | 14% | 0.5 | 54 | 52% | A− |
| Pontiac | 6% | 1.4 | 13 | 92% | A− |
| White Lake Township | 28% | 2.3 | 150 | 61% | A |
| Auburn Hills | 7% | 1.5 | 10 | 71% | B+ |
| Orion Township | 10% | 1.9 | 39 | 61% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Waterford Township
Where can I hike in Waterford Township?
The longest trail networks: Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area, 6.9 miles; Hess-Hathaway Park, 5.4 miles; Drayton Plains Nature Center, 5.2 miles; Waterford Oaks, 3.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waterford Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Waterford Township’s trails?
Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area and Hess-Hathaway Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Waterford Township?
42 miles of bike routes are on the map: 42 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Waterford Township?
31,562 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waterford Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,492 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Waterford Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #136 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 Waterford 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 →