Deford State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,084 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wells Township
Wells Township has 2,936 acres of parks, 1,898 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Wells Township’s land is conserved, about 3,346 acres. The biggest trail networks: Deford State Game Area (2.4 mi), Tuscola State Game Area (2.4 mi). 23% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,346 acres · of 34.5 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,936 ac
1,898 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
23%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Wells Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wells Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wells Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. 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 Wells Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land1,898 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,936 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home23% 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 66%
LessMore
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 Deford State Game Area, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tuscola State Game Area
Managed by Michigan DNR - Wildlife Division
642 acres2.4 mi of trail
Muskrat Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
3,346 conserved acres
15% of Wells Township’s land. Who manages Wells Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,914 ac
County172 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)132 ac
Private owners99 ac
Other state land32 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,914 acLocal Other or Unknown · 172 acConservation Easement · 164 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 99 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 162 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deford State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,268 | Open |
| Tuscola State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 646 | Open |
| Gravel Pit Local Other or Unknown | County | 172 | Closed |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 99 | Open |
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 2.7 mi
Muskrat Trail1.6 mi
When to get out
The best walking months in Wells 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Wells Township →
Next door
Wells Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Township | 15% | 0.1 | 1,898 | 23% | B+ |
| Indianfields Township | 43% | 0.4 | 3,643 | 80% | A |
| Ellington Township | 24% | 0.1 | 4,786 | 57% | A− |
| Kingston Township | 8% | 0.2 | 1,020 | 25% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wells Township
Where can I hike in Wells Township?
The longest trail networks: Deford State Game Area, 2.4 miles; Tuscola State Game Area, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wells Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Wells Township’s trails?
Deford State Game Area and Tuscola State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wells Township?
26,735 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wells Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,936 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wells Township have?
Ahead of 66% 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 Wells 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 →