Fort Gratiot Parks
Managed by Fort Gratiot twp.
339 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fort Gratiot Township
Fort Gratiot Township has 714 acres of parks, 62 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Fort Gratiot Parks (1.2 mi), Fort Gratiot County Park (1 mi). 7% of Fort Gratiot Township’s land is conserved, about 754 acres. 5.2 miles of mapped trail cross Fort Gratiot Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #283 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
754 acres · of 16.0 sq mi of land
Trails
5.2 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
714 ac
62 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
6.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Gratiot Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Gratiot Township is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #283 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Fort Gratiot Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land62 acres of park per 1,000 residents (714 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 60%
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 Fort Gratiot Parks, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fort Gratiot County Park
Managed by St Clair County
29 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shorewood Forrest Preserve
Managed by Saint Clair County Drain Commission
161 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Robert E. Crawford Little League Park
Park
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Fort Gratiot Parks339 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Fort Gratiot twp.
DirectionsFort Gratiot County Park29 acres · 1 mi of trail · St Clair County
DirectionsShorewood Forrest Preserve161 acres · Saint Clair County Drain Commission
Robert E. Crawford Little League Park22 acres
Dead End Woods Preserve17 acres · Thumb Land Conservancy
Peltier Beach Ridge Sanctuary13 acres · Thumb Land Conservancy
North River Road Park6 acres
DirectionsGalbraith Plant Preserve1 acres · Thumb Land Conservancy
Who protects it
754 conserved acres
7% of Fort Gratiot Township’s land. Who manages Fort Gratiot Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners403 ac
Other state land322 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits29 ac
Town or city5 ac
Private Park · 403 acConservation Easement · 351 acLocal Park · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 346 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Huron Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 169 | Restricted |
| Elks Club Private Park | Private owners | 113 | Open |
| Willow Ridge Private Park | Private owners | 70 | Restricted |
| Shallow Creek Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 42 | Restricted |
| Black River Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 7 | Restricted |
| North River Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Manor Beach Park Private Park | Private owners | 3 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Fort Gratiot Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fort Gratiot Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Fort Gratiot Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Fort Gratiot Township
Fort Gratiot Canine CommonsHours: sunrise-sunset · In Fort Gratiot Parks
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
8Baseball
2Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fort Gratiot Township: May to 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Fort Gratiot Township →
Next door
Fort Gratiot Township and its neighbors
Fort Gratiot Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Clyde Township8.7 miFort Gratiot Township5.2 miPort Huron4.9 miPort Huron Township4.3 miBurtchville Township3.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Gratiot Township | 7% | 0.3 | 62 | 59% | B+ |
| Port Huron Township | 5% | 0.3 | 47 | 62% | B+ |
| Port Huron | 3% | 0.6 | 8 | 98% | B+ |
| Clyde Township | 21% | 0.2 | 876 | 49% | A− |
| Burtchville Township | 6% | 0.2 | 155 | 69% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Gratiot Township
Where can I hike in Fort Gratiot Township?
The longest trail networks: Fort Gratiot Parks, 1.2 miles; Fort Gratiot County Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Gratiot Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Fort Gratiot Township’s trails?
Fort Gratiot Parks and Fort Gratiot County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Gratiot Township?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fort Gratiot Township?
11,164 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Gratiot Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 714 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fort Gratiot Township have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #283 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 Fort Gratiot 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 →