Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
8,490 acres16.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hessel School · Photo: postcard · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Clark Township
Clark Township has 3,681 acres of parks, 2,249 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit (16.2 mi), William B. Derby Nature Preserve (1.6 mi), Oliver and Edna Birge Nature Preserve (1.4 mi). 9% of Clark Township’s land is conserved, about 4,649 acres. 59 miles of mapped trail cross Clark Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
4,649 acres · of 79.0 sq mi of land
Trails
59 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,681 ac
2,249 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
728 ft
Peek-A-Boo Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
4 beaches · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Clark Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clark Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clark Township is ahead of 80% 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 Clark Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (59 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land2,249 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,681 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home34% 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 80%
LessMore
Water is 22% of Clark Township’s area (23 of 102 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit, with 16.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
William B. Derby Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
189 acres1.6 mi of trail
William B. Derby Nature Preserve
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Oliver and Edna Birge Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
487 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mertaugh Family Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
241 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Aldo Leopold Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
1,735 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
John Arthur Woollam Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
194 acres0.8 mi of trail
Red Trail / Bush Bay Trail / Narnia TrailYellow Trail - Woollam Shortcut Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 17 parks & preserves
Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit8,490 acres · 16.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWilliam B. Derby Nature Preserve189 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
DirectionsOliver and Edna Birge Nature Preserve487 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMertaugh Family Nature Preserve241 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Aldo Leopold Nature Preserve1,735 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
John Arthur Woollam Preserve194 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsLeopold Landing.58 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Clark Township
Hessel Beach1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Clark Township
DirectionsCarl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve350 acres · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsIvan Nordquist Boot Island Nature Preserve80 acres
Jack Mertaugh Addition to the Birge Nature Preserve80 acres
Sheppard - Hardy Nature Preserve60 acres
Nye Nature Preserve44 acres
Beaver Dam Nature Sanctuary35 acres · Michigan Nature Association
DirectionsMackinac Bay Nature Preserve25 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
DirectionsCedarville Bay Nature Preserve14 acres
The Snows Heritage Park10 acres · Clark Township
DirectionsWho protects it
4,649 conserved acres
9% of Clark Township’s land. Water is left out: Clark Township has 79.0 square miles of land and 22.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clark Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,228 ac
Other state land391 ac
U.S. Forest Service312 ac
Private owners160 ac
Private Conservation · 2,800 acConservation Easement · 1,836 acState Conservation Area · 804 acNational Forest · 312 acForest Stewardship Easement · 180 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 577 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldo Leopold Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,607 | Open |
| Birge State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 491 | Open |
| Hiawatha National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 312 | Open |
| Carl A. Gerstacker Preserve @ Dudley Bay Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 288 | Open |
| Mertaugh Family State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 245 | Open |
| John Arthur Woollam Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 183 | Open |
| Derby Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 181 | Unknown |
| Seiberling - Stewart Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 170 | Open |
| Hessel Ridge Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 136 | Restricted |
| Little La Salle Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 99 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Clark Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clark Township
Sandy Cove
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Clark Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Clark Township
Bay City Lake Sfcg Boat LaunchIn Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
DirectionsCedarville Boat Launch
DirectionsCedarville Ramp Boat Launch
DirectionsHessel Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Clark Township
Peek-A-Boo Hill728 ft elevation
DirectionsBrulee Point587 ft elevation
DirectionsHorse Rock Point581 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miUnpaved · 7.9 mi
North Mission Trail East2.4 mi
Red Trail / Bush Bay Trail / Narnia Trail2.0 mi
Goverment Island Trail2.0 mi
William B. Derby Nature Preserve1.6 mi
Big Loop1.0 mi
South Strongs Island1.0 mi
East Branch Mission Trail0.7 mi
North Mission Trail West0.4 mi
East Boot Island0.3 mi
Duncan Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Yellow Trail - Woollam Shortcut Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Tennis
3Basketball
3Baseball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hessel SchoolBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Clark Township: May to July
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) | 25 | 27 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 54 | 41 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Clark Township →
Next door
Clark Township and its neighbors
Clark Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Clark Township59 miRaber Township59 miMarquette Township58 miPickford Township33 miDetour Township32 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark Township | 9% | 0.7 | 2,249 | 34% | A− |
| Marquette Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Raber Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pickford Township | 17% | 0.3 | 5,413 | 18% | B+ |
| Detour 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.
Questions about parks and trails in Clark Township
Where can I hike in Clark Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit, 16.2 miles; William B. Derby Nature Preserve, 1.6 miles; Oliver and Edna Birge Nature Preserve, 1.4 miles; Mertaugh Family Nature Preserve, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clark Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Clark Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at William B. Derby Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Clark Township?
44,615 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clark Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,767 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clark Township have?
Ahead of 80% 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 Clark 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 →