Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
781 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
DOutdoors
Outdoors in Gladwin Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Gladwin Township
The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit (1.6 mi). 4% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.3 miles of mapped trail cross Gladwin Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 5% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
0 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
3.3 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
4%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gladwin Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gladwin Township is ahead of 5% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Gladwin Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%DTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13DParks close to home4% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 5%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Gladwin 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 D. 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 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Gladwin 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) | 29 | 32 | 42 | 55 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Gladwin Township →
Next door
Gladwin Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Secord Township16 miBuckeye Township15 miSage Township9.7 miHay Township5.3 miGladwin Township3.3 miButman Township1.1 miGladwin0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | 4% | D |
| Butman Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 153 | 7% | C+ |
| Gladwin | 5% | 0.2 | 42 | 86% | B+ |
| Sage Township | 4% | 0.3 | 354 | 42% | B |
| Secord Township | 2% | 0.7 | 242 | 14% | B |
| Buckeye Township | 6% | 0.5 | 743 | 13% | B |
| Hay Township | 2% | 0.2 | 51 | 12% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gladwin Township
Where can I hike in Gladwin Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gladwin 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 Gladwin 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 Gladwin Township?
28,684 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gladwin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Gladwin Township have?
Ahead of 5% 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 Gladwin 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 →