Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,065 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lee Township
Lee Township has 323 acres of parks, 80 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit (2 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Lee Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 35% of U.S. towns · #555 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
402 acres · of 35.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
323 ac
80 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.1 mi
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lee Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lee Township is ahead of 35% of U.S. towns, #555 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lee Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land80 acres of park per 1,000 residents (323 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home14% 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 35%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 21%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. 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 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
9 Mile Road Property
Managed by Midland County
58 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Steiner Preserve
Managed by Little Forks Conservancy
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit2,065 acres · 2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
9 Mile Road Property58 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Midland County
Lee Township Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsManitou Park83 acres · Midland County
DirectionsSteiner Preserve14 acres · Little Forks Conservancy
Who protects it
402 conserved acres
2% of Lee Township’s land. Who manages Lee Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County141 ac
Private owners113 ac
Town or city84 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits58 ac
Other state land45 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 159 acLocal Other or Unknown · 141 acLocal Park · 84 acConservation Easement · 45 acPrivate Conservation · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manitou Local Other or Unknown | County | 141 | Open |
| Township of Lee Park Local Park | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Mid-Michigan Bowman Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 77 | Open |
| Midland Boy Scouts Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Restricted |
| Pine River Riflemen Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 37 | Open |
| Steiner Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Lee Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lee Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lee 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 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Lee Township →
Next door
Lee Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Jerome Township33 miGreendale Township26 miPorter Township20 miHomer Township15 miLee Township2.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Township | 2% | 0.1 | 80 | 14% | C+ |
| Greendale Township | 1% | 0.7 | 130 | 29% | B |
| Porter Township | 3% | 0.6 | 270 | 13% | B |
| Jerome Township | 6% | 1.0 | 281 | 37% | A− |
| Homer Township | 9% | 0.7 | 241 | 35% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lee Township
Where can I hike in Lee Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, 2 miles; 9 Mile Road Property, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lee Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Lee Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit and 9 Mile Road Property don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lee Township?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lee Township?
7,725 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lee Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 323 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lee Township have?
Ahead of 35% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #555 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 Lee 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 →