Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
5,359 acres28.4 mi of trail
Big Mud Lake TrailWhiskers Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Freeman Township
Freeman Township has 2,428 acres of parks, 1,697 for every 1,000 residents
43 miles of mapped trail cross Freeman Township, 1.2 per square mile of land. 11% of Freeman Township’s land is conserved, about 2,418 acres. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit (28.4 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,418 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,428 ac
1,697 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
15
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Freeman Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Freeman Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Freeman Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Freeman Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,697 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,428 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home14% 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 81%
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 Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, with 28.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,418 conserved acres
11% of Freeman Township’s land. Who manages Freeman Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners2,407 ac
Other state land7 ac
Town or city4 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 2,404 acConservation Easement · 7 acLocal Park · 4 acPrivate Park · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton Valley Council Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 2,324 | Open |
| Bird Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 80 | Open |
| Land Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Dollar Lake Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 3 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Freeman Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Freeman Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Freeman Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Freeman Township
Lost Lake Camp
DirectionsMud Lake State Forest CampgroundIn Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 14.5 mi
Big Mud Lake Trail9.3 mi
Ford Trail2.8 mi
Whiskers Trail1.8 mi
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
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Freeman Township: July 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 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.6 inches fall in April, the wettest month. The climate in Freeman Township →
Next door
Freeman Township and its neighbors
Freeman Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Redding Township48 miFreeman Township43 miLincoln Township22 miGarfield Township14 miSylvan Township4.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman Township | 11% | 1.2 | 1,697 | 14% | A− |
| Garfield Township | 9% | 0.4 | 1,040 | 35% | B+ |
| Lincoln Township | 7% | 0.6 | 795 | 23% | B+ |
| Redding Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sylvan Township | 9% | 0.1 | 1,734 | 12% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Freeman Township
Where can I hike in Freeman Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, 28.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Freeman Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Freeman Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Freeman Township?
13,500 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Freeman Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,428 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Freeman Township have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Freeman 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 →