More than half of Iron River Township’s land is conserved: 66%
66% of Iron River Township’s land is conserved, about 100,589 acres. 1,025 acres are parks and preserves, 1,191 per 1,000 residents. 263 miles of mapped trail cross Iron River Township, 1.1 per square mile of land.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Iron River Township is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Iron River Township’s overall grade.
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.
The longest trail network is Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District, with 165.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
81,483 acres165.8 mi of trail
Iron County Orv & Snowmobile TrailUP 15 Snowmobile TrailChristiansen TrailIron River - Marenisco Trail+1
Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit82 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Forests for the Future #14 Conservation Reserve38 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
Forests for the Future #15 Conservation Reserve146 acres · Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
Who protects it
100,589 conserved acres
66% of Iron River Township’s land. Who manages Iron River Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service99,673 ac
State natural resources629 ac
Town or city233 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service34 ac
County20 ac
National Forest · 99,673 acState Conservation Area · 629 acLocal Park · 233 acConservation Easement · 34 acLocal Resource Management Area · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 34 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
Ottawa National Forest
National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
99,673
Open
Crystal Falls State Forest Area
State Conservation Area
State natural resources
629
Open
Land
Local Park
Town or city
138
Open
Township of Iron River Park
Local Park
Town or city
94
Open
Local Forest
Local Resource Management Area
County
20
Open
Things to do
5 places to go in Iron River Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Iron River Township
Chamberlain Lake Boat LaunchIn Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District
The best walking months in Iron River Township: May and August
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)
9.0
10.3
11.8
13.5
15.0
15.8
15.4
14.1
12.5
10.8
9.3
8.6
High (°F)
21
26
38
50
65
74
78
76
67
53
38
26
Rain (in)
1.5
1.3
1.7
2.7
3.3
3.7
3.9
3.3
3.6
3.6
2.1
1.8
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Iron River Township →
Next door
Iron River Township and its neighbors
Iron River Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
— 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 Iron River Township
Where can I hike in Iron River Township?
The longest trail networks: Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District, 165.8 miles; Ottawa National Forest - Kenton Ranger District, 28.4 miles; Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Iron River Township is conserved land?
66% 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 Iron River Township’s trails?
Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District and Ottawa National Forest - Kenton Ranger District don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Iron River Township?
426,711 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Iron River Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 94,473 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Iron River Township have?
Ahead of 91% 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 Iron River Township neighbors.
Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0