Alger Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
4,208 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bay Furnace · Photo: Shonebrooks · CC BY 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Au Train Township
More than half of Au Train Township’s land is conserved: 58%
58% of Au Train Township’s land is conserved, about 52,532 acres. 270 miles of mapped trail cross Au Train Township, 1.9 per square mile of land. 50 acres are parks and preserves, 43 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
58%
52,532 acres · of 141.3 sq mi of land
Trails
270 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
50 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
22 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
45
3 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Au Train Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Au Train Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Au Train Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Au Train Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land58% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (270 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (50 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home16% 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 84%
LessMore
Water is 11% of Au Train Township’s area (17 of 158 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 52%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Superior Scenic View
Managed by Michigan Department of Transportation
46 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Scott Falls State Roadside Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Transportation
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
52,532 conserved acres
58% of Au Train Township’s land. Water is left out: Au Train Township has 141.3 square miles of land and 16.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Au Train Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service52,427 ac
State natural resources157 ac
Other state land2 ac
National Forest · 52,427 acState Conservation Area · 157 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 52,427 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel 82 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 118 | Restricted |
| Au Train Basin State Wildlife Research Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 39 | Restricted |
Things to do
17 places to go in Au Train Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Au Train Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Au Train Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Au Train Township
Ackerman Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsAu Train Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsAu Train Put-In
DirectionsAu Train Put-In
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Au Train Township
Scott Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Au Train Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Au Train Township
Bay Furnace Day Use Site
DirectionsCampgrounds in Au Train Township
Au Train Lake CampgroundFee · United States Forest Service
DirectionsBay Furnace CampgroundUnited States Forest Service
DirectionsCamp HiawathaBoy Scouts of America
DirectionsHovey Lake CampgroundUnited States Forest Service
DirectionsPictured Rocks RV Park and Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 45 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 20.7 miHorses · 14.5 miUnpaved · 53.8 mi
Valley Spur Hemlock Valley10.4 mi
North Country Trail10.2 mi
Bay de Noc – Grand Island National Recreation Trail10.0 mi
Coalwood Trail5.7 mi
Valley Spur (G)4.1 mi
North Country Trail Ackerman Connector Trail3.3 mi
Valley Spur (Z)3.1 mi
County Highway 5232.8 mi
Wyman Pines (Winter Fat Bike)2.6 mi
Coalwood ORV Trail2.6 mi
15 more trails
Valley Spur (Y)
2.3 miCounty Road 576
1.9 miSongbird Trail
1.9 miCounty Road 500
1.8 miValley Spur (H)
1.7 miUP 7 Snowmobile Trail
1.6 miValley Spur (B)
1.5 miBuck Spur West
1.5 miCounty Highway 540
1.4 miForest Road 2398
1.2 miCounty Road 194
1.2 miForest Road 2476F
1.2 miForest Road 2485A
1.1 miValley Spur (C)
1.1 miCounty Road 578
1.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Ackerman LakeAddis LakesAleck LakelakeAu Train LakelakeBeaver PondreservoirBunting LakeCedar Bog LakelakeCleveland Cliffs BasinreservoirCook LakelakeCranberry LakeDam LakelakeFurnace LakelakeGrassy PondHemlock LakeHovey LakelakeJenny LakeJoe LakelakeJoel PondKitten LakeLake SeventeenlakeLake Twenty FiveLine LakelakeLittle Aleck LakeLittle Round LakelakeMirror LakelakeMoth LakeMouse LakeMud LakeOdell PondOtter LakePaquette LakelakePaulson LakePerch LakelakeReady LakelakeShady LakeShallow LakelakeSixteenmile LakelakeSlowfoot LakeWest Branch LakelakeWheelbarrow LakelakeAnna RiverAu Train RiverIndian RiverSturgeon RiverWest Branch Sturgeon River
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
22 mi
off-road bike paths
Valley Spur Loop 1Bike route
7.3 miCourts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Au Train Township: May, June and August
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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 27 | 36 | 48 | 63 | 72 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 54 | 40 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Au Train Township →
Next door
Au Train Township and its neighbors
Au Train Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Munising Township293 miAu Train Township270 miMathias Township79 miOnota Township78 miGrand Island Township44 miLimestone Township39 miRock River Township35 miMunising25 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Au Train Township | 58% | 1.9 | 43 | 16% | A− |
| Munising Township | 74% | 1.4 | 17,700 | 20% | A |
| Grand Island Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mathias Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rock River Township | 17% | 0.4 | 2,525 | 26% | A− |
| Onota Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Limestone Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Munising | 26% | 4.7 | 327 | 94% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Au Train Township
Where can I hike in Au Train Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Superior Scenic View, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Au Train Township is conserved land?
58% 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 Train Township’s trails?
Alger Underwater Preserve and Lake Superior Scenic View don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Au Train Township?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 22 of off-road paths. Named routes: Valley Spur Loop 1.
Is there public land near Au Train Township?
247,159 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Au Train Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 51,579 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Au Train Township have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Train 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 →