Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
229 acres are parks and preserves, 84 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (106.2 mi), Sand Lakes Quiet Area (18.4 mi), Whitewater Township Park (2 mi). 28% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #325 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Whitewater Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #325 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Water is 11% of Whitewater Township’s area (6 of 54 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, with 106.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
1% of Whitewater Township’s land. Water is left out: Whitewater Township has 47.8 square miles of land and 5.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Whitewater Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 127 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 112 | Open |
| Petobego State Game Area-MORRISON State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 49 | Closed |
| South Elk Lake Wetland Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 40 | Open |
| Petobego State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 40 | Open |
| Palastra-Holm Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 playground without a name on the map.
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 41 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Whitewater Township →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater Township | 1% | 3.0 | 84 | 28% | B+ |
| Milton Township | 2% | 0.7 | 235 | 15% | B |
| Acme Township | 13% | 1.7 | 159 | 51% | A |
| Union Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Bay Township | 5% | 3.6 | 212 | 64% | A |
| Kalkaska Township | 1% | 3.0 | 24 | 53% | B |
| Clearwater Township | 13% | 0.9 | 969 | 47% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 106.2 miles; Sand Lakes Quiet Area, 18.4 miles; Whitewater Township Park, 2 miles; Battle Creek Natural Area, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
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.
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit and Sand Lakes Quiet Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
41 miles of bike routes are on the map: 41 of off-road paths. Named routes: Iceman08 and Vasa Pathway.
9,901 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Whitewater Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 229 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #325 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Whitewater Township neighbors.
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 →