Ludington State Park
Nature preserve
4,643 acres24.9 mi of trail
Ridge TrailLogging TrailLighthouse TrailIsland Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: James Phelps from USA · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hamlin Township
Hamlin Township has 2,352 acres of parks, 627 for every 1,000 residents
30% of Hamlin Township’s land is conserved, about 5,230 acres. 31 miles of mapped trail cross Hamlin Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ludington State Park (24.9 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #84 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
5,230 acres · of 27.4 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,352 ac
627 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.9 mi
Lakes & rivers
5
19 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hamlin Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hamlin Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hamlin Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #84 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 Hamlin Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land627 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,352 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home37% 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 90%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 88%
Water is 20% of Hamlin Township’s area (7 of 34 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 24%.
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.
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 Ludington State Park, with 24.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Powell Memorial Park
Managed by Fraternal Order of Eagles
16 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wilson Hill Park
Managed by Hamlin Township
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Ludington State Park4,643 acres · 24.9 mi of trail
DirectionsManistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Powell Memorial Park16 acres · Fraternal Order of Eagles
Wilson Hill Park7 acres · Hamlin Township
DirectionsNordhouse Dunes Wilderness3 acres · United States Forest Service
West Michigan Underwater Preserve2 acres
South Bayou Park1 acres · Hamlin Township
Who protects it
5,230 conserved acres
30% of Hamlin Township’s land. Water is left out: Hamlin Township has 27.4 square miles of land and 7.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hamlin Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks4,578 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits255 ac
State natural resources179 ac
Private owners130 ac
U.S. Forest Service89 ac
Other state land16 ac
Town or city5 ac
State Park · 4,578 acUnknown Easement · 203 acState Conservation Area · 179 acPrivate Park · 130 acNational Forest · 89 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 271 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ludington State Park State Park | State parks | 4,578 | Open |
| Big Sable Dunes and Swales Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 179 | Restricted |
| Lincoln Hills Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 130 | Restricted |
| Manistee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 89 | Open |
| Wilson Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Lakeshore Drive Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| South Bayou Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
33 places to go in Hamlin Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hamlin Township
Hamlin Lake beachIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsThe First CurveIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsPlus 17 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Hamlin Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Hamlin Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Hamlin Township
Inspiration PointIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Hamlin Township
Beechwood CampgroundIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsCedars CampgroundIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsJack Pine Walk-in CampgroundIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsPines CampgroundIn Ludington State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 19.9 mi
Ridge Trail2.9 mi
Logging Trail2.6 mi
Lighthouse Trail1.9 mi
Island Trail1.8 mi
Juniper Trail1.4 mi
Coast Guard Trail1.3 mi
Evergreen Trail1.1 mi
Lost Lake Trail1.1 mi
Forest Tr 57080.6 mi
Sable River Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Skyline Trail
0.2 miBike Path
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hamlin 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 41 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hamlin Township →
Next door
Hamlin Township and its neighbors
Hamlin Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamlin Township | 30% | 1.1 | 627 | 37% | A |
| Pere Marquette Township | 3% | 1.1 | 301 | 53% | A− |
| Victory Township | 1% | 0.1 | 65 | 2% | C |
| Grant Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hamlin Township
Where can I hike in Hamlin Township?
The longest trail networks: Ludington State Park, 24.9 miles; Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hamlin Township is conserved land?
30% 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 Hamlin Township’s trails?
Ludington State Park and Powell Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hamlin Township?
4.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hamlin Township?
17,998 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hamlin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,407 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hamlin Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #84 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 Hamlin 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 →