Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,618 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Chassell Township
Chassell Township has 4,445 acres of parks, 2,478 for every 1,000 residents
17% of Chassell Township’s land is conserved, about 5,155 acres. The biggest trail networks: Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit (0.7 mi). 25 miles of mapped trail cross Chassell Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
5,155 acres · of 48.3 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,445 ac
2,478 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.2 mi
3.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Chassell Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chassell Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chassell Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chassell Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land2,478 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,445 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home37% 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 82%
LessMore
Water is 7% of Chassell Township’s area (3 of 52 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
5,155 conserved acres
17% of Chassell Township’s land. Water is left out: Chassell Township has 48.3 square miles of land and 3.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Chassell Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife3,985 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)738 ac
Private owners184 ac
State natural resources166 ac
Town or city85 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,151 acConservation Easement · 738 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 184 acLocal Park · 85 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 736 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon River Sloughs State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,985 | Open |
| Roaring Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 184 | Open |
| Baraga State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 166 | Open |
| Township of Portage Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Chassell Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Chassell Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chassell Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Chassell Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Chassell Township
Chassell Boat Launch
DirectionsSouth Portage Entry Boat Launch
DirectionsSturgeon River Sloughs Boat LaunchIn Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 mi
Chassell Fitness Trail1.8 mi
Chassell Historical Trail0.3 mi
C122Bb0.2 mi
Beginner Loop0.1 mi
Intermediate Skills Line0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Chassell 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 27 | 37 | 49 | 63 | 72 | 77 | 76 | 68 | 54 | 41 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.3 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Chassell Township →
Next door
Chassell Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chassell Township | 17% | 0.5 | 2,478 | 37% | A− |
| Portage Township | 18% | 1.5 | 3,534 | 51% | A |
| Torch Lake Township | 3% | 0.9 | 1,373 | 58% | A− |
| Baraga Township | 27% | 1.4 | 2,748 | 50% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chassell Township
Where can I hike in Chassell Township?
The longest trail networks: Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chassell Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Chassell Township’s trails?
Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit and Chassell Centennial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chassell Township?
3.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chassell Township?
26,942 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chassell Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,445 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chassell Township have?
Ahead of 82% 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 Chassell 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 →