Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7,121 acres27.9 mi of trail
4WDEvacuation TrailSkating Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Pine Haven Recreational Area parking
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Jerome Township
Jerome Township has 1,299 acres of parks, 281 for every 1,000 residents
33 miles of mapped trail cross Jerome Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit (27.9 mi), Village of Sanford Park (1.1 mi), Sanford Lake Park (0.9 mi). 6% of Jerome Township’s land is conserved, about 1,244 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #220 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,244 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,299 ac
281 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
34 mi
34 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Jerome Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jerome Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jerome Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #220 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jerome Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land281 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,299 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home37% 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 78%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 69%
Water is 7% of Jerome Township’s area (2 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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
The longest trail network is Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, with 27.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Village of Sanford Park
Park
26 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sanford Lake Park
Managed by Midland County
68 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit7,121 acres · 27.9 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsVillage of Sanford Park26 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSanford Lake Park68 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Midland County
DirectionsAlbert & Virginia Szok Preserve7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Veterans Memorial Park132 acres
DirectionsPorte Park26 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,244 conserved acres
6% of Jerome Township’s land. Water is left out: Jerome Township has 33.2 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Jerome Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County665 ac
State fish & wildlife540 ac
Town or city17 ac
Other state land16 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits13 ac
Local Park · 586 acState Conservation Area · 555 acLocal Resource Management Area · 96 acConservation Easement · 8 acPrivate Conservation · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff Creek / US-10 / M-18 Floodings State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 540 | Open |
| Pine Haven Recreational Area Local Park | County | 342 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | County | 133 | Open |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 96 | Open |
| Sanford Lake Park Local Park | County | 93 | Open |
| Village Of Sanford Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| State Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 15 | Open |
| Albert & Virginia Szok Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Sanford Staging Area Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Jerome Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jerome Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Jerome Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Jerome Township
West Side Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Jerome Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Jerome Township
Black Creek State Forest CampgroundFee · In Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.6 mi
4WD12.6 mi
Evacuation Trail0.9 mi
Skating Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
34 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
34 mi
off-road bike paths
South ParkBike route
0.7 miSouth Park LoopBike route
0.4 miCourts & fields
7Baseball
4Softball
2Basketball
2Tracks
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
North Saginaw Road-Salt River BridgeStructure · listed 1999
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Jerome Township: July 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Jerome Township →
Next door
Jerome Township and its neighbors
Jerome Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Edenville Township47 miJerome Township33 miGeneva Township29 miLincoln Township12 miLee Township2.4 miSanford2.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Township | 6% | 1.0 | 281 | 37% | A− |
| Geneva Township | under 1% | 0.8 | 54 | 6% | C+ |
| Edenville Township | 5% | 1.4 | 283 | 32% | A− |
| Lincoln Township | 4% | 0.5 | 186 | 50% | B+ |
| Sanford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lee Township | 2% | 0.1 | 80 | 14% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jerome Township
Where can I hike in Jerome Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, 27.9 miles; Village of Sanford Park, 1.1 miles; Sanford Lake Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jerome Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Jerome Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit and Village of Sanford Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jerome Township?
34 miles of bike routes are on the map: 34 of off-road paths. Named routes: South Park and South Park Loop.
Is there public land near Jerome Township?
11,158 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jerome Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,299 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jerome Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #220 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 Jerome 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 →