Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
4,773 acres19.7 mi of trail
NFS 8150NFS 5037US Forest Foot TrailNFS 8159
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
–Not graded
Outdoors in Free Soil Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Free Soil Township
The biggest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District (19.7 mi). 19% of Free Soil Township’s land is conserved, about 4,811 acres. 10 acres are parks and preserves, 10 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
19%
4,811 acres · of 38.6 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
10 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
4%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
Lakes & rivers
5
2 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 Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District, with 19.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Sable River Access
Managed by Mason County
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Gun Lake Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
4,811 conserved acres
19% of Free Soil Township’s land. Who manages Free Soil Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service4,774 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)37 ac
National Forest · 4,774 acConservation Easement · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 4,774 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Free Soil Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Free Soil Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Free Soil Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Free Soil Township
Hoags Lake Day Use AreaIn Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 14.3 mi
US Forest Foot Trail0.7 mi
NFS 81500.5 mi
NFS 50370.4 mi
NFS 81590.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Free Soil 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 42 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Free Soil Township →
Next door
Free Soil Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stronach Township105 miGrant Township65 miMeade Township61 miFree Soil Township38 miSherman Township1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Soil Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Meade Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Grant Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stronach Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sherman Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 1 | 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Free Soil Township
Where can I hike in Free Soil Township?
The longest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District, 19.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Free Soil Township’s trails?
Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District and Big Sable River Access don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Free Soil Township?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Free Soil Township?
78,820 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Free Soil Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,827 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Free Soil 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 →