Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
47% of Briley Township’s land is conserved, about 20,505 acres. 126 miles of mapped trail cross Briley Township, 1.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit (95.3 mi), Briley Township Recreation Area (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 98% 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, Briley Township is ahead of 98% 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.
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 Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, with 95.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
47% of Briley Township’s land. Who manages Briley Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 13 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 20,210 | Open |
| Elk Ridge Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 240 | Restricted |
| Montmorency Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 20 | Restricted |
| Sportsman's Lake State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 16 | Open |
| Crooked Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Briley Township Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 1 boat launch 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 40 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.1 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Briley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briley Township | 47% | 1.8 | 11,172 | 75% | A+ |
| Vienna Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hillman Township | 45% | 2.0 | 9,508 | 73% | A+ |
| Montmorency Township | 46% | 2.4 | 31,056 | 68% | A+ |
| Albert Township | 53% | 2.1 | 8,680 | 50% | A+ |
| Avery Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, 95.3 miles; Briley Township Recreation Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
47% 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.
Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit and Briley Township Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
185,797 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Briley Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 20,556 of them inside the town line.
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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Briley 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 →