Huron National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,954 acres22.1 mi of trail
Shore to Shore TrailHuron ORV TrailVe TrailSnowmobile Orv
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Au Sable Township
Au Sable Township has 54 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
711 acres are parks and preserves, 310 per 1,000 residents. 27% of Au Sable Township’s land is conserved, about 3,618 acres. The biggest trail networks: Huron National Forest (22.1 mi), Billy McQuaig Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
3,618 acres · of 21.0 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
711 ac
310 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
2.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
3 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Au Sable Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Au Sable Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Au Sable Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Au Sable Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land310 acres of park per 1,000 residents (711 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home81% 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 98%
LessMore
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 Huron National Forest, with 22.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Billy McQuaig Park
Managed by Au Sable Township
42 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Au Sable Childrens Park
Managed by Au Sable Township
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AuSable River Mouth Access Site
Park
12 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Boat Parking
All 7 parks & preserves
Huron National Forest2,954 acres · 22.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsBilly McQuaig Park42 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Au Sable Township
DirectionsAu Sable Childrens Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Au Sable Township
DirectionsAuSable River Mouth Access Site12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAu Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit12 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
AuSable Shoreline Park10 acres · Au Sable Township
DirectionsFinish Line Park1 acres · Au Sable Township
DirectionsWho protects it
3,618 conserved acres
27% of Au Sable Township’s land. Who manages Au Sable Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service2,956 ac
Private owners564 ac
Town or city57 ac
Other state land42 ac
National Forest · 2,956 acPrivate Park · 564 acLocal Recreation Area · 43 acState Conservation Area · 42 acLocal Park · 13 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 2,956 | Open |
| Acres and Trails Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 564 | Open |
| Billy Mccraig Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Forest Management State Conservation Area | Other state land | 32 | Open |
| State Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 10 | Open |
| Shoreline Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Childrens Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Au Sable Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Au Sable Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Au Sable Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Au Sable Township
Au Sable River Mouth Boat LaunchIn AuSable River Mouth Access Site
DirectionsHarbor Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsFishing spots in Au Sable Township
Handicap Fishing Spot
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 2.9 miUnpaved · 0.6 mi
Shore to Shore Trail2.9 mi
Huron ORV Trail2.1 mi
Ve Trail2.0 mi
Harlan Trail1.1 mi
Austin Trail1.0 mi
Snowmobile Orv0.8 mi
Dillon Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
5Tennis
2Basketball
2Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Au Sable Township: May, June 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Au Sable Township →
Next door
Au Sable 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Au Sable Township | 27% | 2.6 | 310 | 81% | A+ |
| Oscoda Township | 65% | 2.8 | 511 | 67% | A+ |
| Wilber Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Baldwin Township | 15% | 0.8 | 122 | 20% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Au Sable Township
Where can I hike in Au Sable Township?
The longest trail networks: Huron National Forest, 22.1 miles; Billy McQuaig Park, 0.6 miles; Au Sable Childrens Park, 0.3 miles; AuSable River Mouth Access Site, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Au Sable Township is conserved land?
27% 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 Au Sable Township’s trails?
Huron National Forest and Billy McQuaig Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Au Sable Township?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Au Sable Township?
50,791 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Au Sable Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,686 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Au Sable Township have?
Ahead of 98% 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 Au Sable 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 →