Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Iron River has 7.9 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 49 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents. 3% of Iron River’s land is conserved, about 141 acres.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #264 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Iron River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Iron River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Iron River is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #264 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ice Lake Park
Segundo Park
All 7 parks & preserves
141 conserved acres
3% of Iron River’s land. Who manages Iron River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 54 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron River Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 56 | Restricted |
| Nelson Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Bachman Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Ice Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Nanaimo Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Mattol Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Hoover Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 places to go in Iron River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
1.9 miles of bike routes
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.
38 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.
26 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Iron River: 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 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 26 | 38 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 75 | 68 | 53 | 38 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Iron River →
Iron River and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron River | 3% | 1.2 | 16 | 79% | B+ |
| Iron River Township | 66% | 1.1 | 1,191 | 37% | A |
| Stambaugh Township | 46% | 1.0 | 1,833 | 43% | A |
| Caspian | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bates 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 Iron River
How much of Iron River is conserved land?
3% 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’s trails?
Bachman Park and Nanaimo Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Iron River?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: State Line Trail and Iron County Recreational Trail.
Is there public land near Iron River?
76,601 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Iron River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 49 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Iron River have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #264 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 Iron River neighbors.
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 →