Sunset Park
Managed by Village of Paw Paw
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
North Watervliet Road-Paw Paw Lake Outlet Bridge · Photo: Michigan State Highway Department · Public domainC−Outdoors
Outdoors in Watervliet Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Watervliet Township
0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Watervliet Township. 12 acres are parks and preserves, 3.8 per 1,000 residents. 1% of Watervliet Township’s land is conserved, about 130 acres.
Ahead of 16% of U.S. towns · #654 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
130 acres · of 13.5 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
12 ac
3.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Watervliet Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Watervliet Township is ahead of 16% of U.S. towns, #654 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; conserved land comes closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Watervliet Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land3.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (12 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13CParks close to home34% 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 16%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 7%
Water is 7% of Watervliet Township’s area (1 of 14 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Watervliet 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
130 conserved acres
1% of Watervliet Township’s land. Water is left out: Watervliet Township has 13.5 square miles of land and 1.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Watervliet Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners110 ac
Other state land16 ac
State natural resources2 ac
Town or city1 ac
Private Park · 103 acConservation Easement · 16 acPrivate Conservation · 7 acState Recreation Area · 2 acLocal Park · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Paw Lake Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 103 | Restricted |
| Woodland Nature Conservancy Inc. Private Conservation | Private owners | 7 | Open |
| Paw Paw Lake Public Access Site State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 2 | Open |
| Papoose Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Hetherington Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Watervliet Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Watervliet Township
Paw Paw Lake East Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
5Tennis
2Basketball
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).
North Watervliet Road-Paw Paw Lake Outlet BridgeStructure · listed 1999
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Watervliet 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) | 9.4 | 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 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Watervliet Township →
Next door
Watervliet Township and its neighbors
Watervliet Township has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watervliet Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 34% | C− |
| Coloma Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 14 | 43% | C− |
| Hartford Township | 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | 16% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Watervliet Township
How much of Watervliet Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Watervliet Township’s trails?
Sunset Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Watervliet Township?
4,358 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Watervliet Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 12 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Watervliet Township have?
Ahead of 16% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #654 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 Watervliet 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 →