Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South)
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
25,793 acres37.7 mi of trail
County Road Ccx
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Vista Theater · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ely Township
Ely Township has 4,894 acres of parks, 2,656 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South) (37.7 mi), Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (1 mi). 107 miles of mapped trail cross Ely Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. 24% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
5,031 acres · of 137.5 sq mi of land
Trails
107 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,894 ac
2,656 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
6.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
28
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ely Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ely Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ely Township is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ely Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (107 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land2,656 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,894 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home24% 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 74%
LessMore
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 Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South), with 37.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,009 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
South Ely Township Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (North)
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,009 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South)25,793 acres · 37.7 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit2,009 acres · 1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
South Ely Township Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (North)2,009 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Greenwood Reservoir Public Access4 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
5,031 conserved acres
6% of Ely Township’s land. Who manages Ely Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners5,027 ac
State natural resources3 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Private Park · 4,016 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 792 acPrivate Conservation · 185 acState Conservation Area · 38 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Northwoods Club Private Park | Private owners | 3,815 | Open |
| Conibear Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 699 | Open |
| Wawonowin Club Private Park | Private owners | 200 | Restricted |
| Marvin and Diane Demilio Trust Private Conservation | Private owners | 185 | Open |
| Camp Hope, Inc. Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 79 | Open |
| David Poirier Trust State Conservation Area | Private owners | 35 | Open |
| Murph's Camp, Inc. Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 14 | Open |
| Crystal Falls State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
| Braastad Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Ely Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ely Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Ely Township
Greenwood Reservoir Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Ely Township
Black River FallsIn Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South)
DirectionsPeaks in Ely Township
1 peak without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 28 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.4 miHorses · 1.3 miUnpaved · 21.2 mi
County Road CU2.0 mi
County Road Ccx1.9 mi
County Road Cck0.9 mi
County Road Ckh0.8 mi
County Road CWW0.8 mi
County Highway CWX0.5 mi
Blueberry Mine Rs0.3 mi
County Road Ckl0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Boston LakeBrocky LakeChabeneau LakeDeer LakelakeDewey LakeFrenchy LakeGingrass LakelakeGold Mine LakelakeGreenwood ReservoirreservoirHeart LakelakeHurt LakelakeIsland LakeJohnson LakeLake FrancoeurLake UnkylakeLittle Chabeneau LakelakeLittle Perch LakeLowmoor LakeNorth LakePenglase LakePerch LakeRound LakeSagola LakesTanglefoot LakeBlack RiverMiddle Branch Escanaba RiverSecond RiverWest Branch Middle Branch Escanaba River
Biking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Tennis
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.
Vista TheaterBuilding · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ely Township: May and 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 25 | 36 | 48 | 63 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 37 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Ely Township →
Next door
Ely Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Felch Township185 miChampion Township164 miSagola Township141 miEly Township107 miIshpeming Township97 miHumboldt Township87 miWest Branch Township75 miTilden Township39 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ely Township | 6% | 0.8 | 2,656 | 24% | B+ |
| Tilden Township | 10% | 0.4 | 5,095 | 6% | B+ |
| Humboldt Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Champion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ishpeming Township | 2% | 1.1 | 81 | 68% | B+ |
| West Branch Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Felch Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sagola Township | 38% | 0.9 | 42,894 | 66% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ely Township
Where can I hike in Ely Township?
The longest trail networks: Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South), 37.7 miles; Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit, 1 miles; South Ely Township Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ely Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Ely Township’s trails?
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South) and Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ely Township?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ely Township?
114,061 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ely Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,894 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ely Township have?
Ahead of 74% 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 Ely 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 →