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–Not graded
Outdoors in Lake Township

Few parks or trails are on the map in Lake Township

The biggest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District (38.2 mi). 41% of Lake Township’s land is conserved, about 8,959 acres. 41 acres are parks and preserves, 45 per 1,000 residents.

Conserved land
41%
8,959 acres · of 33.8 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
41 ac
45 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
18
3 boat launches
The map

Conserved land, trails & bike routes

Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.

1234
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 Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District, with 38.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District

Managed by United States Forest Service
8,684 acres38.2 mi of trail
North Country National Scenic TrailBig O Motorcycle TrailMCCT-Big O SpurNFS 5150+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead

Lake Township Park

Managed by Lake Township
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Reed Lake Boating Access Site

Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Big Star Lake Public Access

Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it

8,959 conserved acres

41% of Lake Township’s land. Water is left out: Lake Township has 33.8 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

U.S. Forest Service8,684 ac
Private owners149 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits126 ac
National Forest · 8,684 acPrivate Park · 149 acConservation Easement · 116 acUnknown Easement · 10 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 126 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Manistee National Forest
National Forest
U.S. Forest Service8,684Open
Marquette Trails Country Club
Private Park
Private owners149Restricted
Things to do

6 places to go in Lake Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Boat launches in Lake Township
Big Star Lake Boat Launch
Directions
Gleason's LandingIn Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District
Directions
Reed Lake Boat Launch
Directions
Trails & water

15 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miUnpaved · 8.2 mi
North Country National Scenic Trail5.6 mi
Big O Motorcycle Trail2.7 mi
NFS 51492.3 mi
MCCT-Big O Spur2.3 mi
West Sherwood2.2 mi
NFS 51502.0 mi
NFS 62761.2 mi
M-20 to Big O Motorcycle & MCCCT1.0 mi
NFS 54670.7 mi
MCCCT- BWC0.5 mi
5 more trails
NFS 6289
0.5 mi
NCT Bowman Campground Spur
0.4 mi
NFS 9461
0.4 mi
NFS 6651
0.3 mi
NFS 6702
0.3 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
1Baseball
1Tennis
1Beach volleyball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

When to get out

The best walking months in Lake Township: May 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.210.411.813.414.715.415.114.012.410.99.68.9
High (°F)293243566978817972584534
Rain (in)2.31.82.23.43.53.43.13.23.14.03.12.4

February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lake Township →

Next door

Lake Township and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

TownConserved
of land
Trail mi
per sq mi
Park acres
per 1,000
Near a park
½ mile
Outdoors
Lake Township— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Logan Township— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Sweetwater Township— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Pleasant Plains Township44%1.52856%A
Troy 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 Lake Township

Where can I hike in Lake Township?

The longest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District, 38.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

Are dogs allowed on Lake Township’s trails?

Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District and Lake Township Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Is there public land near Lake Township?

161,582 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,199 of them inside the town line.

Trail talk

Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lake Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →