Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
711 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Houghton Lake
Few parks or trails are on the map in Houghton Lake
The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit (1 mi). 4% of Houghton Lake’s land is conserved, about 260 acres. 49 acres are parks and preserves, 8.6 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
4%
260 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
3.5 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
49 ac
8.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
20%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi paths
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 - Roscommon Unit, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Houghton Lake Public Water Access Site
Park
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
260 conserved acres
4% of Houghton Lake’s land. Water is left out: Houghton Lake has 10.8 square miles of land and 1.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Houghton Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners175 ac
State natural resources83 ac
Not recorded8 ac
Private Park · 175 acState Conservation Area · 73 acState Park · 10 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quest Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 155 | Restricted |
| Pere Marquette State Forest, State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 73 | Restricted |
| Houghton Lake Sport Club Private Park | Private owners | 21 | Open |
| Dnr Lakeview Park State Park | State natural resources | 10 | Open |
| Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 8 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Houghton Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Houghton Lake
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Houghton Lake
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Houghton Lake
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Houghton Lake
Houghton Lake Travel Park Campground
DirectionsBiking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
3Tennis
2Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Houghton Lake: July 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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 41 | 54 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 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 Houghton Lake →
Next door
Houghton Lake and its neighbors
Houghton Lake has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Prudenville | — 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 Houghton Lake
Where can I hike in Houghton Lake?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Houghton Lake’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit and Houghton Lake Public Water Access Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Houghton Lake?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Houghton Lake?
79,432 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Houghton Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 49 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Houghton Lake 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 →