Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.015% of Crystal Falls Township’s land is conserved, about 22,163 acres. The biggest trail networks: Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit (10.9 mi), Bewabic State Park (2.3 mi). 40% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 80% 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, Crystal Falls 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.
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 Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit, with 10.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
15% of Crystal Falls Township’s land. Who manages Crystal Falls Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 9 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Falls State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 21,093 | Open |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 444 | Open |
| Bewabic State Park State Park | State parks | 300 | Open |
| Beaver Lake Lodge Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 138 | Open |
| Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 120 | Open |
| Deer River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 56 | Open |
| Runkle Lake Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
4 playgrounds 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 25 | 37 | 49 | 64 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 37 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Crystal Falls 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Falls Township | 15% | 0.4 | 12,690 | 40% | A− |
| Crystal Falls | 6% | 0.7 | 47 | 42% | B+ |
| Mansfield Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hematite Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mastodon Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Spurr Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bates Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Amasa | — 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.
The longest trail networks: Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit, 10.9 miles; Bewabic State Park, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
15% 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.
Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit and Bewabic State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
3.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.4 of off-road paths. Named routes: Iron County Recreational Trail and Iron Range Trail.
146,043 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Crystal Falls Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 21,788 of them inside the town line.
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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Crystal Falls 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 →