Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
462 acres are parks and preserves, 330 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit (172.8 mi), North Higgins Lake State Park (3.9 mi). 10% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns. 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, Beaver Creek Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns. Trail miles 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 →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, with 172.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
3% of Beaver Creek Township’s land. Who manages Beaver Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Grayling Military Reservation State Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 851 | Open |
| North Higgins Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 209 | Open |
| Fox Run Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 170 | Restricted |
| Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area Conservation Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 108 | Restricted |
| Au Sable Land Utilization Project National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
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 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 42 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Beaver Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek Township | 3% | 2.8 | 330 | 10% | B+ |
| Garfield Township | 3% | 2.9 | 130 | 13% | B+ |
| South Branch Township | 51% | 2.0 | 1,751 | 28% | A |
| Lyon Township | 20% | 3.1 | 3,051 | 22% | A |
| Gerrish Township | 5% | 0.9 | 297 | 9% | B+ |
| Grayling Township | 21% | 2.9 | 2,255 | 25% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, 172.8 miles; North Higgins Lake State Park, 3.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
3% 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.
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit and North Higgins Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of off-road paths.
94,961 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Beaver Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,214 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 70% 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Beaver Creek 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 →