Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,609 acres9.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Martin Reef Light Station · Public domain–Not graded
Outdoors in Detour Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Detour Township
The biggest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit (9.5 mi), Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve (1.2 mi). 6% of Detour Township’s land is conserved, about 1,947 acres. 2,384 acres are parks and preserves, 4,040 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
6%
1,947 acres · of 48.8 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,384 ac
4,040 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
18%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
8
4 boat launches
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 9.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
678 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
De Tour Passage Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
3,359 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Elise M Kummer Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
568 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit4,609 acres · 9.5 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve678 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
De Tour Passage Underwater Preserve3,359 acres
DirectionsElise M Kummer Nature Preserve568 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
Detour Peninsula Nature Preserve165 acres
DirectionsJames V. Foster Hartley Lake Nature Preserve160 acres
DirectionsDe Tour Roadside Park51 acres · Michigan Department of Transportation
Seymour Bay Nature Preserve21 acres
Walter and Elaine Carey Memorial Plant Preserve19 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Lake Huron Sand Dunes Nature Sanctuary17 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Malette Park2 acres
Ellen Elliott Weatherbee Nature Preserve2 acres
Who protects it
1,947 conserved acres
6% of Detour Township’s land. Water is left out: Detour Township has 48.8 square miles of land and 26.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Detour Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,647 ac
State fish & wildlife261 ac
U.S. Forest Service39 ac
Private Conservation · 1,486 acState Conservation Area · 422 acNational Forest · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 9 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl A. Gerstacker Preserve @ Dudley Bay Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,009 | Open |
| Carlton Lake Wetlands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 312 | Open |
| Cranberry Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 261 | Open |
| James V. Foster Hartley Lake State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 161 | Open |
| Detour Peninsula Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 145 | Unknown |
| Hiawatha National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 39 | Open |
| Seymour Bay Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Unknown |
| Ellen Elliot Weatherbee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Closed |
Things to do
5 places to go in Detour Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Detour Township
Caribou.lake Boat Launch
DirectionsCranberry Flooding Boat LaunchIn Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
DirectionsDe Tour Villiage Boat LaunchIn De Tour Passage Underwater Preserve
DirectionsDe.tour.passage Boat LaunchIn De Tour Passage Underwater Preserve
DirectionsCampgrounds in Detour Township
DeTour State Forest CampgroundFee · In Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Lakes & 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
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Detour 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 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 54 | 41 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Detour Township →
Next door
Detour 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detour 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 | ||||
| Drummond Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clark Township | 9% | 0.7 | 2,249 | 34% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Detour Township
Where can I hike in Detour Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit, 9.5 miles; Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Detour Township’s trails?
Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit and Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Detour Township?
6,116 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Detour Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,423 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Detour 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 →