Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,328 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Antrim County Courthouse · Photo: Dkanaris · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kearney Township
Kearney Township has 261 acres of parks, 136 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Kearney Township’s land is conserved, about 2,332 acres. 30 miles of mapped trail cross Kearney Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (2.2 mi), Cedar River Natural Area (2.1 mi), Craven Park (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,332 acres · of 34.2 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
261 ac
136 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
732 ft
Dingle Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Kearney Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kearney Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kearney Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. 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 Kearney Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land136 acres of park per 1,000 residents (261 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home42% 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 81%
LessMore
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 Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cedar River Natural Area
Managed by Antrim County
186 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Craven Park
Park
59 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cedar River Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
70 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Mohrmann Natural Area
Park
102 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit1,328 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Cedar River Natural Area186 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Antrim County
Craven Park59 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Cedar River Nature Sanctuary70 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Michigan Nature Association
Mohrmann Natural Area102 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
William A Hosmer Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMDNR Boating Access Site11 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsOpeno Park and Boat Launch3 acres · Kearney Township
DirectionsRichardi Park2 acres
DirectionsAntrim County Fairgrounds2 acres
Who protects it
2,332 conserved acres
11% of Kearney Township’s land. Who manages Kearney Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,906 ac
Private owners302 ac
Town or city124 ac
Unknown Easement · 1,829 acPrivate Park · 302 acLocal Park · 124 acPrivate Conservation · 76 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,829 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanty Creek Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 212 | Restricted |
| Mohrmann Park Local Park | Town or city | 100 | Open |
| Farm Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 90 | Restricted |
| Cedar River Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 76 | Open |
| Craven Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Kearney Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kearney Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Kearney Township
Ohio Street Boat Launch
DirectionsOpeno Park Boat LaunchIn Openo Park and Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Kearney Township
Dingle Hill732 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Kearney Township
Craven Park CampgroundIn Craven Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.9 mi
Meadowview Trail0.4 mi
Old County Road 6200.4 mi
Woodland Court0.3 mi
Antrim Woods0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Baseball
2Pickleball
2Softball
2Tennis
1Beach volleyball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Antrim County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Kearney Township: May to 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 30 | 40 | 53 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Kearney Township →
Next door
Kearney Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chestonia Township77 miForest Home Township46 miCuster Township41 miKearney Township30 miEcho Township10 miBellaire1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney Township | 11% | 0.9 | 136 | 42% | A− |
| Forest Home Township | 7% | 1.9 | 467 | 41% | A |
| Bellaire | 4% | 0.7 | 71 | 94% | A |
| Echo Township | 7% | 0.3 | 598 | 23% | B |
| Custer Township | 4% | 1.2 | 48 | 5% | B |
| Chestonia 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 Kearney Township
Where can I hike in Kearney Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 2.2 miles; Cedar River Natural Area, 2.1 miles; Craven Park, 0.9 miles; Cedar River Nature Sanctuary, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kearney Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Kearney Township’s trails?
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit and Cedar River Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Kearney Township?
6,197 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kearney Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 261 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kearney Township have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Kearney 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 →