Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Johannesburg Manufacturing Company Store · Photo: Calm Vistas · CC BY 2.023% of Charlton Township’s land is conserved, about 14,551 acres. 120 miles of mapped trail cross Charlton Township, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (69.8 mi), Pigeon River Country State Forest (18.4 mi).
Ahead of 88% 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, Charlton Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident 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 Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, with 69.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
23% of Charlton Township’s land. Who manages Charlton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 569 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigeon River Country State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 13,318 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel 165 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 500 | Restricted |
| MNRTF Parcel State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 160 | Restricted |
| Atlanta State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
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.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
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) | 25 | 28 | 38 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 69 | 55 | 41 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 3.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Charlton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Township | 23% | 1.2 | 9,149 | 23% | A |
| Vienna Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chester Township | 1% | 1.5 | 1 | 11% | C |
| Dover Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Corwith Township | 48% | 1.6 | 19,421 | 35% | A |
| Lovells Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Albert Township | 53% | 2.1 | 8,680 | 50% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 69.8 miles; Pigeon River Country State Forest, 18.4 miles; Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
23% 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.
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit and Pigeon River Country State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths.
147,088 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 13,386 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 88% 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 Charlton 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 →