Craig Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Girard Township
Girard Township has 73 acres of parks, 43 for every 1,000 residents
0.2 miles of mapped trail cross Girard Township. 28% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 24% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
62 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.2 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
73 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
28%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
11
1 beach · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Girard Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Girard Township is ahead of 24% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Girard Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4DPark land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (73 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home28% 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 24%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Girard Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
62 conserved acres
under 1% of Girard Township’s land. Who manages Girard Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners62 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 62 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waffle Park and Campground Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 62 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Girard Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Girard Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Girard Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Girard Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Girard Township
Craig Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsCampgrounds in Girard Township
Angel Cove ParkBranch County
DirectionsTrails & water
11 lakes & rivers
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
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Girard 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Girard Township →
Next door
Girard Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Coldwater3.7 miColdwater Township2.1 miUnion Township1.9 miTekonsha Township1.3 miGirard Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girard Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 43 | 28% | C− |
| Coldwater | 3% | 0.4 | 17 | 94% | B+ |
| Coldwater Township | 1% | 0.1 | 15 | 19% | C− |
| Union Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 8 | 50% | C− |
| Tekonsha Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 9 | 48% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Girard Township
How much of Girard Township is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Girard Township’s trails?
Craig Lake Public Access doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Girard Township?
555 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Girard Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 73 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Girard Township have?
Ahead of 24% 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 Girard 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 →