Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area
Managed by State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
11,068 acres12.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
St. Clair Flats South Channel Range Lights · Photo: US Coast Guard · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Clay Township
More than half of Clay Township’s land is conserved: 100%
100% of Clay Township’s land is conserved, about 28,952 acres. 17,817 acres are parks and preserves, 2,132 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area (12.6 mi), St. John's Marsh State Wildlife Area (6.5 mi), Algonac State Park (4.6 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #38 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
100%
28,952 acres · of 35.5 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
17,817 ac
2,132 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 12 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Clay Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clay Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clay Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #38 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Clay Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land100% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land2,132 acres of park per 1,000 residents (17,817 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home65% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 95%
Water is more than half of Clay Township’s area (47 of 82 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 55%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area, with 12.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
St. John's Marsh State Wildlife Area
Managed by State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,676 acres6.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Algonac State Park
Nature preserve
1,222 acres4.6 mi of trail
Oak Savannah TrailBlazing Star Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
North Channel Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area11,068 acres · 12.6 mi of trail · State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSt. John's Marsh State Wildlife Area2,676 acres · 6.5 mi of trail · State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsAlgonac State Park1,222 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Channel Boating Access Site7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDecker's Landing Boating Access Site1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
28,952 conserved acres
100% of Clay Township’s land. Water is left out: Clay Township has 35.5 square miles of land and 46.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clay Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife27,433 ac
Other state land1,200 ac
Private owners279 ac
State natural resources44 ac
State Conservation Area · 27,433 acState Park · 1,175 acPrivate Park · 279 acState Recreation Area · 35 acConservation Easement · 25 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair Flats State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 25,323 | Open |
| St. Johns Marsh State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,110 | Open |
| Algonac State Park State Park | Other state land | 1,175 | Open |
| Harsens Island Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 199 | Restricted |
| Middle Channel Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 80 | Restricted |
| Lions Field State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 25 | Open |
| Browns Field Unknown | State natural resources | 10 | Open |
| Boat Launch State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 9 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in Clay Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clay Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Clay Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Clay Township
Ames Road Boat LaunchIn Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area
DirectionsDecker's Landing Boat LaunchIn Decker's Landing Boating Access Site
DirectionsDecker's Landing Boat LaunchIn Decker's Landing Boating Access Site
DirectionsSnooks Highway DNR PWC Water AccessIn Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Clay Township
Algonac-Modern Riverfront CampgroundIn Algonac State Park · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsAlgonac-Modern Wagon Wheel CampgroundFee · In Algonac State Park · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.4 mi
Oak Savannah Trail1.7 mi
Blazing Star Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
6.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Tennis
5Baseball
3Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Clay Township: June to September
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Clay Township →
Next door
Clay Township and its neighbors
Clay Township has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township | 100% | 0.7 | 2,132 | 65% | A |
| Ira Township | 3% | 0.1 | 70 | 33% | B− |
| Cottrellville Township | 4% | 0.1 | 133 | 14% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clay Township
Where can I hike in Clay Township?
The longest trail networks: Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area, 12.6 miles; St. John's Marsh State Wildlife Area, 6.5 miles; Algonac State Park, 4.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clay Township is conserved land?
100% 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 Clay Township’s trails?
Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area and St. John's Marsh State Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Clay Township?
7.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths and 6.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Clay Township?
32,659 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clay Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 17,827 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clay Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #38 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Clay 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 →