Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,397 acres34.8 mi of trail
Third LoopSecond LoopFifth LoopFirst Loop+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Brampton Township
Brampton Township has 53 miles of mapped trails, 2.2 for every square mile of land
80 acres are parks and preserves, 73 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit (34.8 mi). 15% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
81 acres · of 23.7 sq mi of land
Trails
53 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
80 ac
73 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Brampton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brampton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brampton Township is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brampton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C−Trails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (53 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land73 acres of park per 1,000 residents (80 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home15% 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 56%
LessMore
Water is 7% of Brampton Township’s area (2 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read under 1%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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 Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit, with 34.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
81 conserved acres
1% of Brampton Township’s land. Water is left out: Brampton Township has 23.7 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Brampton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city81 ac
Local Conservation Area · 81 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brampton Township Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 81 | Open |
Trails & water
8 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.8 miUnpaved · 13.1 mi
Third Loop2.5 mi
Second Loop1.9 mi
Fifth Loop1.8 mi
First Loop1.6 mi
Fourth Loop1.1 mi
Breezey R 220.6 mi
Days River ORV Route0.5 mi
Single Track Connector0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Brampton Township: May 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 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 28 | 38 | 49 | 63 | 73 | 78 | 77 | 68 | 55 | 42 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Brampton Township →
Next door
Brampton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Masonville Township278 miBaldwin Township134 miEnsign Township80 miBrampton Township53 miEscanaba Township52 miGladstone2.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brampton Township | 1% | 2.2 | 73 | 15% | B |
| Gladstone | 2% | 0.5 | 43 | 82% | B+ |
| Baldwin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Escanaba Township | under 1% | 0.9 | under 1 | 1% | C− |
| Ensign Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Masonville Township | 64% | 1.7 | 78 | 18% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brampton Township
Where can I hike in Brampton Township?
The longest trail networks: Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit, 34.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brampton Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Brampton Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Brampton Township?
65,399 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brampton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 80 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brampton Township have?
Ahead of 56% 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 Brampton 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 →