Aetna Township has 304 acres of parks, 135 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Aetna Township’s land is conserved, about 3,189 acres. 9% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Aetna Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Aetna Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Aetna Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Aetna Township is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
3,189 conserved acres
14% of Aetna Township’s land. Who manages Aetna Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 2,636 | Open |
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 176 | Open |
| Forest Reserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 175 | Open |
| Fort Faith Baptist Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 91 | Open |
| Gravel Pit Local Other or Unknown | County | 75 | Closed |
| State Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 40 | Open |
5 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
4.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
The best walking months in Aetna 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) | 29 | 32 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Aetna Township →
Aetna Township and its neighbors
Aetna Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna Township | 14% | 0.5 | 135 | 9% | B+ |
| Deerfield Township | 1% | 0.2 | 4 | 4% | C− |
| Big Prairie Township | 19% | 1.4 | 264 | 41% | A |
| Mecosta Township | 3% | 0.5 | 76 | 17% | B− |
| Reynolds Township | 10% | 0.2 | 105 | 54% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Aetna Township
How much of Aetna Township is conserved land?
14% 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.
Where can I bike in Aetna Township?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: The Dragon.
Is there public land near Aetna Township?
30,859 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Aetna Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,947 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Aetna Township have?
Ahead of 69% 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 Aetna Township neighbors.
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 →