Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area
Managed by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
3,286 acres6.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area ParkingWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Clearwater Township
Clearwater Township has 2,457 acres of parks, 969 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Clearwater Township’s land is conserved, about 2,553 acres. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Clearwater Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area (6.6 mi), Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (4 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #123 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,553 acres · of 31.2 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,457 ac
969 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Clearwater Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clearwater Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clearwater Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #123 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Clearwater Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land969 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,457 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home47% 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 86%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 83%
Water is 8% of Clearwater Township’s area (3 of 34 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area, with 6.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
622 acres4 mi of trail
Richardson Road NorthwestSeven Bridges Natural Area TrailTownline Road Northwest
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area3,286 acres · 6.6 mi of trail · Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
DirectionsPere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit622 acres · 4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsFreedom Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHeritage Park12 acres
DirectionsRapid City Elementary Public Playground and Forest10 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,553 conserved acres
13% of Clearwater Township’s land. Water is left out: Clearwater Township has 31.2 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clearwater Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,094 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits490 ac
Town or city18 ac
Other state land3 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,406 acUnknown Easement · 172 acLocal Park · 18 acPrivate Conservation · 6 acConservation Easement · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 125 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skegemog Lake State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,094 | Open |
| Traverse City State Forest Area: Seven Bridges State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 312 | Open |
| Freedom Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Seven Bridges Cabin Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Birch Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Clearwater Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Clearwater Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Clearwater Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Clearwater Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Clearwater Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 18.2 mi
Underhill Road Northwest1.0 mi
North Dundas Road Northwest0.9 mi
Richardson Road Northwest0.8 mi
Windblown Lane Northwest0.6 mi
Hill Road Northwest0.5 mi
Redman Drive Northwest0.5 mi
Townline Road Northwest0.5 mi
Seven Bridges Natural Area Trail0.5 mi
Morrison Road Northwest0.4 mi
Taz Circle Northwest0.4 mi
3 more trails
West Kellogg Road Northwest
0.3 miTimber Ridge
0.2 miAmidon Road Northwest
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
3Baseball
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Clearwater Township: May to 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Clearwater Township →
Next door
Clearwater Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kalkaska Township212 miWhitewater Township145 miRapid River Township76 miClearwater Township27 miMilton Township17 miHelena Township13 miRapid City5.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater Township | 13% | 0.9 | 969 | 47% | A |
| Milton Township | 2% | 0.7 | 235 | 15% | B |
| Rapid City | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Helena Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Kalkaska Township | 1% | 3.0 | 24 | 53% | B |
| Rapid River Township | under 1% | 2.2 | 167 | 24% | B |
| Whitewater Township | 1% | 3.0 | 84 | 28% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clearwater Township
Where can I hike in Clearwater Township?
The longest trail networks: Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area, 6.6 miles; Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 4 miles; Freedom Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clearwater Township is conserved land?
13% 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 Clearwater Township’s trails?
Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area and Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Clearwater Township?
6,070 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clearwater Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,457 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clearwater Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #123 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 Clearwater 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 →