Merrill-Gorrel County Park
Managed by Mecosta County
80 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fork Township
Fork Township has 291 acres of parks, 187 for every 1,000 residents
4.0 miles of mapped trail cross Fork Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 38% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Fork Township’s land is conserved, about 451 acres.
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
451 acres · of 34.8 sq mi of land
Trails
4.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
291 ac
187 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
38%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fork Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fork Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fork Township is ahead of 47% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fork Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land187 acres of park per 1,000 residents (291 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home38% 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 47%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. 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 Merrill-Gorrel County Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Central Park
Managed by Village of Barryton
17 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Barryton Lions Club Riverside Park
Managed by Village of Barryton
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
East River Park
Managed by Village of Barryton
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
451 conserved acres
2% of Fork Township’s land. Who manages Fork Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners174 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service125 ac
County91 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits61 ac
Conservation Easement · 186 acPrivate Park · 111 acLocal Park · 91 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 62 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 186 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lazy Lake Rod and Gun Club Private Park | Private owners | 111 | Open |
| Merrill Lake Park Local Park | County | 91 | Open |
| Barryton Rod and Gun Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 62 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Fork Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fork Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Fork Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Fork Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Fork Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
6 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
4Baseball
2Soccer
1Tennis
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fork Township: July and 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.6 inches fall in April, the wettest month. The climate in Fork Township →
Next door
Fork Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sheridan Township7.4 miChippewa Township4.2 miFork Township4.0 miOrient Township2.7 miColdwater Township1.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fork Township | 2% | 0.1 | 187 | 38% | B− |
| Coldwater Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sheridan Township | 5% | 0.2 | 690 | 38% | B |
| Chippewa Township | 7% | 0.1 | 1,111 | 49% | B+ |
| Orient Township | — 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.
Questions about parks and trails in Fork Township
Where can I hike in Fork Township?
The longest trail networks: Merrill-Gorrel County Park, 0.1 miles; Central Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fork Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Fork Township’s trails?
Merrill-Gorrel County Park and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fork Township?
23,860 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fork Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 291 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fork Township have?
Ahead of 47% 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 Fork 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 →