Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,569 acres4.5 mi of trail
Lancaster Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Maple Ridge Township
Maple Ridge Township has 4,662 acres of parks, 3,019 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Maple Ridge Township’s land is conserved, about 4,734 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit (4.5 mi). 11% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
4,734 acres · of 51.6 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,662 ac
3,019 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.3 mi
8.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Maple Ridge Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Maple Ridge Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Maple Ridge Township is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Maple Ridge Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land3,019 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,662 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home11% 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 67%
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 Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Maple Ridge Township Park
Managed by Maple Ridge Township
43 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,734 conserved acres
14% of Maple Ridge Township’s land. Who manages Maple Ridge Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources4,689 ac
County45 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,689 acLocal Park · 45 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 4,601 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 88 | Restricted |
| Maple Ridge County Park Local Park | County | 45 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Maple Ridge Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Maple Ridge Township
Lake Winyah East Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Maple Ridge Township
Alpena CRTC CampgroundAlpena Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC)
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.7 mi
Lancaster Trail2.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Basketball
2Tennis
1Softball
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Maple Ridge Township: May, June, August 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Maple Ridge Township →
Next door
Maple Ridge Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Alpena Township91 miKrakow Township31 miWilson Township28 miMaple Ridge Township13 miLong Rapids Township12 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Ridge Township | 14% | 0.2 | 3,019 | 11% | B+ |
| Long Rapids Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alpena Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wilson Township | 16% | 0.4 | 3,790 | 35% | A− |
| Krakow 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 Maple Ridge Township
Where can I hike in Maple Ridge Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, 4.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Maple Ridge Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Maple Ridge Township’s trails?
Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit and Maple Ridge Township Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Maple Ridge Township?
8.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Maple Ridge Township?
51,716 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Maple Ridge Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,662 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Maple Ridge Township have?
Ahead of 67% 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 Maple Ridge 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 →