Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7,871 acres8.5 mi of trail
Marl Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Markey Township
Markey Township has 1,187 acres of parks, 533 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit (8.5 mi). 9% of Markey Township’s land is conserved, about 1,668 acres. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Markey Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,668 acres · of 28.7 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,187 ac
533 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.1 mi
3.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,237 ft
Birch Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Markey Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Markey Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Markey Township is ahead of 82% 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 Markey Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land533 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,187 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home57% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Water is 20% of Markey Township’s area (7 of 36 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 Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit, with 8.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
South Higgins Lake State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
642 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Markey Park
Park
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,668 conserved acres
9% of Markey Township’s land. Water is left out: Markey Township has 28.7 square miles of land and 7.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Markey Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land894 ac
Town or city351 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits241 ac
Private owners191 ac
State Park · 643 acConservation Easement · 492 acLocal Park · 351 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 113 acPrivate Park · 79 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 491 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Higgins Lake State Park State Park | Other state land | 643 | Open |
| Land Local Park | Town or city | 321 | Open |
| Society of the Divine Word Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 113 | Open |
| Split "T" Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 79 | Open |
| Markey Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Markey Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Markey Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Markey Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Markey Township
Birch Hill1,237 ft elevation · In Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.4 mi
Marl Trail1.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.1 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in Markey Township: May and July 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 41 | 54 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Markey Township →
Next door
Markey Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Higgins Township130 miLyon Township93 miDenton Township33 miGerrish Township24 miMarkey Township16 miLake Township9.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markey Township | 9% | 0.5 | 533 | 57% | A− |
| Lake Township | 32% | 0.4 | 3,982 | 68% | A |
| Gerrish Township | 5% | 0.9 | 297 | 9% | B+ |
| Higgins Township | 15% | 1.8 | 3,731 | 75% | A+ |
| Denton Township | 7% | 1.2 | 202 | 35% | A− |
| Lyon Township | 20% | 3.1 | 3,051 | 22% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Markey Township
Where can I hike in Markey Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit, 8.5 miles; South Higgins Lake State Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Markey Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Markey Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit and South Higgins Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Markey Township?
3.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Markey Township?
73,977 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Markey Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,187 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Markey Township have?
Ahead of 82% 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 Markey 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 →