Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
694 acres5.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Littlefield Township
Littlefield Township has 322 acres of parks, 100 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (5.4 mi), Waldron Fen Nature Preserve (1.9 mi), Oden Island Nature Preserve (0.8 mi). 16 miles of mapped trail cross Littlefield Township, 0.7 per square mile of land. 8% of Littlefield Township’s land is conserved, about 1,122 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #205 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,122 acres · of 21.7 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
322 ac
100 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.7 mi
5.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Littlefield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Littlefield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Littlefield Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #205 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 Littlefield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land100 acres of park per 1,000 residents (322 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home48% 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 71%
Water is 12% of Littlefield Township’s area (3 of 25 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 5.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Waldron Fen Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
151 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Oden Island Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
55 acres0.8 mi of trail
Blue TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Oden State Fish Hatchery
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
120 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit694 acres · 5.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Waldron Fen Nature Preserve151 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsOden Island Nature Preserve55 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
DirectionsOden State Fish Hatchery120 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsInland Waterway Nature Preserve24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
Sanctuary Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Village of Alanson
DirectionsHymas Woods Nature Preserve150 acres
Black Hole Nature Preserve121 acres
Elbert Family Nature Preserve98 acres
Ross Drayton Nature Preserve43 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
Ponshewaing Nature Preserve20 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
Kreag Family Nature Preserve16 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
Clements Nature Preserve14 acres
Lossing-Harrington Nature Preserve10 acres
William J. Dickson Nature Preserve4 acres
Oden Field4 acres · Oden Community Association
Alanson Village Park3 acres · Village of Alanson
DirectionsAlanson Hillside Gardens2 acres
DirectionsGazebo Park1 acres · Littlefield Township
DirectionsWoodruff Park1 acres · Littlefield Township
DirectionsWho protects it
1,122 conserved acres
8% of Littlefield Township’s land. Water is left out: Littlefield Township has 21.7 square miles of land and 2.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Littlefield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits691 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)152 ac
County144 ac
State natural resources111 ac
Other state land23 ac
Town or city1 ac
Private Conservation · 595 acConservation Easement · 175 acLocal Park · 145 acState Other or Unknown · 111 acState Conservation Area · 97 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 173 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hymas Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 148 | Unknown |
| Waldron Fen Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 146 | Closed |
| Camp Pet-o-se-ga Local Park | County | 144 | Open |
| Black Hole Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 118 | Closed |
| Oden State Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 111 | Open |
| Elbert Family State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 97 | Closed |
| Oden Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 53 | Unknown |
| Drayton Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 41 | Unknown |
| Inland Waterway Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Open |
| Ponshewaing Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Littlefield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Littlefield Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Littlefield Township
8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Littlefield Township
Lake Street Public Access
DirectionsPlus 7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.3 mi
Blue Trail0.4 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
North Cedar Creek Trail0.3 mi
San Juan0.3 mi
Orto0.3 mi
Inland Waterway Nature Trail0.2 mi
Overlook Trail0.2 mi
Mesa Verdi0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Basketball
4Tennis
3Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Littlefield 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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 29 | 39 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Littlefield Township →
Next door
Littlefield Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pleasantview Township125 miSpringvale Township84 miLittle Traverse Township44 miTuscarora Township44 miLittlefield Township16 miMaple River Township14 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littlefield Township | 8% | 0.7 | 100 | 48% | A− |
| Springvale Township | 2% | 1.9 | 65 | 17% | B |
| Maple River Township | 4% | 0.4 | 349 | 24% | B |
| Tuscarora Township | 2% | 1.5 | 100 | 55% | A− |
| Little Traverse Township | 12% | 2.4 | 276 | 53% | A |
| Pleasantview 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 Littlefield Township
Where can I hike in Littlefield Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 5.4 miles; Waldron Fen Nature Preserve, 1.9 miles; Oden Island Nature Preserve, 0.8 miles; Oden State Fish Hatchery, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Littlefield Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Littlefield Township’s trails?
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit and Waldron Fen Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Littlefield Township?
5.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.0 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Littlefield Township?
13,976 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Littlefield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 351 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Littlefield Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #205 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 Littlefield 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 →