Gogebic County Forest
Managed by Gogebic County
14,526 acres11.3 mi of trail
Harris Creek
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Bessemer Township
Bessemer Township has 17,595 acres of parks, 14,363 for every 1,000 residents
45% of Bessemer Township’s land is conserved, about 32,666 acres. The biggest trail networks: Gogebic County Forest (11.3 mi), Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District (9.4 mi). 68 miles of mapped trail cross Bessemer Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
45%
32,666 acres · of 113.8 sq mi of land
Trails
68 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
17,595 ac
14,363 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
2.9 mi paths
Highest peak
1,201 ft
Big Powderhorn Mountain
Lakes & rivers
26
6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bessemer Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bessemer Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bessemer Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bessemer Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land45% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (68 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land14,363 acres of park per 1,000 residents (17,595 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home65% 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 93%
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 Gogebic County Forest, with 11.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
14,813 acres9.4 mi of trail
Stateline Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Forests for the Future #8 Conservation Reserve
Managed by Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
43 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Chaney Lake Boat Launch
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
32,666 conserved acres
45% of Bessemer Township’s land. Who manages Bessemer Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County16,964 ac
U.S. Forest Service14,691 ac
Private owners568 ac
Town or city443 ac
Local Resource Management Area · 17,290 acNational Forest · 14,691 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 529 acLocal Park · 117 acPrivate Park · 39 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 17,290 | Open |
| Ottawa National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 14,691 | Open |
| Blackjack Ski Resort Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 312 | Restricted |
| Big Powderhorn Mountain Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 216 | Restricted |
| City of Wakefield Park Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Land Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Wolverine Nordic Ski Club Private Park | Private owners | 37 | Restricted |
| Gogebic Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 2 | Restricted |
Things to do
9 places to go in Bessemer Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bessemer Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Bessemer Township
Chaney Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsEel Lake Boat LaunchIn Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District
DirectionsHenry Lake Boat LaunchIn Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District
DirectionsMoraine Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsThrush Lake Boat LaunchIn Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Bessemer Township
Big Powderhorn Mountain1,201 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Bessemer Township
Henry Lake CampgroundFee · In Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District · Scenic Canyons Recreational Services
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 26 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.2 mi
Powderhorn Peaks Loop Downhill2.0 mi
Fisher Ridge1.2 mi
Korpela1.1 mi
Cliffhanger Trail1.1 mi
Snow Snake1.1 mi
Cliffs Trail0.8 mi
Powderhorn Trail0.5 mi
Harris Creek0.4 mi
Wolverine/Hospital Trail0.3 mi
Stateline Trail0.3 mi
3 more trails
Wolverine Trail
0.2 miPowderhorn Loop
0.2 miPowderhorn Cutoff
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Bluejay LakeChaney LakeEel LakelakeFeather LakeFoxpaw LakelakeGlen LakeHenry LakelakeHeron LakeHook LakelakeJoann LakeLynx LakeMarell LakeMink LakelakeMishike LakeMoraine LakelakeOrchid LakeOsprey LakePlymouth LakelakeRidge LakeTaps LakeThrush LakeTwin Pups LakeslakeBlack RiverLittle Black RiverSouth Branch Presque Isle RiverWest Branch Presque Isle River
Biking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
State Line TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
1Baseball
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Main Street-Black River BridgeStructure · listed 1999
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Bessemer Township: May, August 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 25 | 37 | 49 | 64 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 37 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Bessemer Township →
Next door
Bessemer Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Ironwood Township332 miMarenisco Township281 miWakefield Township232 miErwin Township76 miBessemer Township68 miPresque Isle36 miWinchester22 miWakefield6.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bessemer Township | 45% | 0.6 | 14,363 | 65% | A |
| Wakefield Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marenisco Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Erwin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ironwood Township | 26% | 1.9 | 7,072 | 49% | A |
| Wakefield | under 1% | 0.8 | 21 | 17% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bessemer Township
Where can I hike in Bessemer Township?
The longest trail networks: Gogebic County Forest, 11.3 miles; Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District, 9.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bessemer Township is conserved land?
45% 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 Bessemer Township’s trails?
Gogebic County Forest and Ottawa National Forest - Bessemer Ranger District don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bessemer Township?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: State Line Trail.
Is there public land near Bessemer Township?
257,987 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bessemer Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 28,765 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bessemer Township have?
Ahead of 93% 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 Bessemer 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 →