Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
130 miles of mapped trail cross Higgins Township, 1.8 per square mile of land. 15% of Higgins Township’s land is conserved, about 6,896 acres. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit (110.5 mi), Tisdale Triangle (5.4 mi), Backus Creek State Game Area (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. What drives it
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, Higgins Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit, with 110.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
15% of Higgins Township’s land. Who manages Higgins Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 51 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backus Creek State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,210 | Open |
| Robinson Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,559 | Open |
| Roscommon Forest Management Unit State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 766 | Restricted |
| Baptist State Convention of Michigan Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 236 | Open |
| Kirtland Community College Private Recreation or Education | Other or Unknown Local Government | 36 | Open |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 34 | Open |
| St. Helen Shooting Club Private Park | Private owners | 2 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Higgins Township →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higgins Township | 15% | 1.8 | 3,731 | 75% | A+ |
| Backus Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Au Sable Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Gerrish Township | 5% | 0.9 | 297 | 9% | B+ |
| Markey Township | 9% | 0.5 | 533 | 57% | A− |
| Richfield Township | 5% | 2.4 | 596 | 45% | A− |
| South Branch Township | 51% | 2.0 | 1,751 | 28% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit, 110.5 miles; Tisdale Triangle, 5.4 miles; Backus Creek State Game Area, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
15% 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.
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit and Tisdale Triangle don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
9.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.0 of off-road paths.
92,759 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Higgins Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,669 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 96% 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Higgins Township neighbors.
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 →