Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
3,076 acres4.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Greenbush Township
Greenbush Township has 12 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
45 acres are parks and preserves, 35 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit (4.9 mi). 2% of Greenbush Township’s land is conserved, about 252 acres.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
252 acres · of 24.9 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
45 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
33%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greenbush Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greenbush Township is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greenbush Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land35 acres of park per 1,000 residents (45 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home33% 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 50%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 - Grayling Unit, with 4.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Huron National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
118 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Greenbush Park
Park
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit3,076 acres · 4.9 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Huron National Forest118 acres · United States Forest Service
Greenbush Park10 acres
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary3 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
Cedar Lake Park1 acres
Who protects it
252 conserved acres
2% of Greenbush Township’s land. Who manages Greenbush Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service118 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits99 ac
Town or city33 ac
Private owners2 ac
Other state land1 ac
National Forest · 118 acConservation Easement · 99 acLocal Recreation Area · 31 acLocal Park · 2 acPrivate Park · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 99 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpena S.F. Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 118 | Open |
| Spencer Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Cedar Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Greenbush Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 2 | Restricted |
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Greenbush Township: May, June and 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) | 29 | 31 | 39 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Greenbush Township →
Next door
Greenbush Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbush Township | 2% | 0.5 | 35 | 33% | B− |
| Mikado Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Harrisville Township | 2% | 0.2 | 94 | 18% | C+ |
| Oscoda Township | 65% | 2.8 | 511 | 67% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greenbush Township
Where can I hike in Greenbush Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, 4.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greenbush Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Greenbush 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.
Is there public land near Greenbush Township?
61,894 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greenbush Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 164 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Greenbush Township have?
Ahead of 50% 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 Greenbush 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 →