Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
502 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Hill Township
Hill Township has 1,368 acres of parks, 1,016 for every 1,000 residents
8% of Hill Township’s land is conserved, about 1,661 acres. 41% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.3 miles of mapped trail cross Hill Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,661 acres · of 32.5 sq mi of land
Trails
3.3 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,368 ac
1,016 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
24
7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hill Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hill Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hill Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hill Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land1,016 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,368 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home41% 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 63%
LessMore
Water is 10% of Hill Township’s area (4 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rifle River State Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
244 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rifle Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
29 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sage Lake Public Access
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit502 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Rifle River State Recreation Area244 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Rifle Lake Public Access29 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSage Lake Public Access6 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGeorge Lake Public Access1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
1,661 conserved acres
8% of Hill Township’s land. Water is left out: Hill Township has 32.5 square miles of land and 3.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hill Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners1,069 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits306 ac
State parks228 ac
Other state land34 ac
State natural resources24 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 1,069 acConservation Easement · 306 acState Recreation Area · 252 acState Conservation Area · 34 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 306 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valhalla Lodge Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 781 | Open |
| Boy Scouts of America Chief Okemas Council Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 288 | Open |
| Rifle River Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 228 | Open |
| State Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 34 | Open |
| Rifle River State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 24 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Hill Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hill Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Hill Township
Allen Sub Access
DirectionsGeorge Lake Boat LaunchIn George Lake Public Access
DirectionsHoughton Lake Heights Access Site
DirectionsRifle Lake Boat LaunchIn Rifle Lake Public Access
DirectionsSage Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 24 lakes & rivers
Named trails
E North Rose Circle1.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bass LakelakeBig Norway LakelakeCranberry LakelakeDarlyn LakelakeGeorge LakelakeGrebe LakelakeHidden LakelakeJenkins LakelakeLa Barge LakelakeLaird LakelakeLake AugustinalakeLittle Cranberry LakepondLittle Norway LakelakeMud LakelakeNo Mans LakelakeNorth Dease LakelakeO'Connor LakelakeRifle LakelakeSage LakelakeSouth Dease LakelakeThunder LakelakeTwin LakeslakeValley LakelakeAu Gres River
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hill Township: May, August 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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Hill Township →
Next door
Hill Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Plainfield Township128 miGoodar Township46 miCumming Township26 miHill Township3.3 miLogan Township2.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hill Township | 8% | 0.1 | 1,016 | 41% | B |
| Cumming Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Plainfield Township | 46% | 1.2 | 163 | 21% | A |
| Logan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Goodar 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 Hill Township
How much of Hill Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Hill Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit and Rifle River State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hill Township?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hill Township?
101,890 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hill Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,368 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hill Township have?
Ahead of 63% 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 Hill 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 →