Grayling Township has 13,050 acres of parks, 2,255 for every 1,000 residents
503 miles of mapped trail cross Grayling Township, 2.9 per square mile of land. 21% of Grayling Township’s land is conserved, about 23,090 acres. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit (351.6 mi), Huron National Forest (34.5 mi), Hartwick Pines State Park (27.7 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #71 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
23,090 acres · of 170.7 sq mi of land
Trails
503 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
13,050 ac
2,255 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
26 mi
20 mi paths
Highest peak
1,496 ft
Cote Dame Marie
Lakes & rivers
16
1 beach · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Grayling Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grayling Township is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #71 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Grayling Township’s overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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.
21% of Grayling Township’s land. Who manages Grayling Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks7,944 ac
U.S. Forest Service7,292 ac
State natural resources3,581 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land2,366 ac
Town or city1,378 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service615 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits124 ac
State Park · 7,944 acNational Forest · 7,292 acState Conservation Area · 3,579 acState Other or Unknown · 2,366 acLocal Recreation Area · 1,417 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 120 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
Hartwick Pines State Park
State Park
State parks
7,944
Open
Huron National Forest
National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
7,292
Open
Kirtland Warbler Unit Clear Lake
State Conservation Area
State natural resources
3,579
Open
Camp Grayling Military Reservation
State Other or Unknown
Other or Unknown Federal Land
2,366
Open
Camp AuSable
Local Recreation Area
Town or city
770
Open
Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area
Conservation Area
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
615
Restricted
Camp Wa Wa Sum
Local Recreation Area
Town or city
608
Open
Sportsmans Club
Private Park
Private owners
60
Open
Crawford Fairgrounds and Sportsplex
Local Recreation Area
County
39
Restricted
Camp Grayling
Unknown
State natural resources
3
Open
Things to do
47 places to go in Grayling Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
20 mi
off-road bike paths
5.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Hanson Hills Recreation Area Mountain Bike TrailsBike route
21.5 mi
Easy Rider Loop (Green)Bike route
1.7 mi
Courts & fields
6Baseball
4Soccer
2Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Grayling 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
14.8
15.5
15.2
14.0
12.4
10.9
9.5
8.8
High (°F)
26
29
40
53
67
76
80
78
70
57
42
32
Rain (in)
1.9
1.5
1.8
3.2
3.2
3.5
2.9
3.2
3.2
3.7
2.7
2.1
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Grayling Township →
Next door
Grayling Township and its neighbors
Grayling Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grayling Township
Where can I hike in Grayling Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, 351.6 miles; Huron National Forest, 34.5 miles; Hartwick Pines State Park, 27.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grayling Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Grayling Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit and Huron National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grayling Township?
26 miles of bike routes are on the map: 20 of off-road paths and 5.9 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Hanson Hills Recreation Area Mountain Bike Trails and Easy Rider Loop (Green).
Is there public land near Grayling Township?
122,128 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grayling Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 22,467 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Grayling Township have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 Grayling Township neighbors.
Hartwick, Edward E., Memorial Building · Public domain