Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
6,346 acres20.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto car parking
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Moffatt Township
Moffatt Township has 24 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
43 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit (20.7 mi). 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
452 acres · of 31.5 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
43 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Moffatt Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Moffatt Township is ahead of 57% 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 Moffatt Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (43 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home29% 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 57%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 20.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
452 conserved acres
2% of Moffatt Township’s land. Who manages Moffatt Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners259 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits159 ac
Town or city33 ac
County2 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 180 acConservation Easement · 159 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 79 acLocal Park · 33 acLocal Resource Management Area · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 159 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility Corridor Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 180 | Open |
| School District #2 Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 79 | Open |
| Moffatt Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Moffatt Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Moffatt Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
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
2Baseball
2Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Moffatt Township: 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Moffatt Township →
Next door
Moffatt Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moffatt Township | 2% | 0.8 | 38 | 29% | B |
| Adams Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clayton Township | 3% | 0.6 | 687 | 24% | B |
| Bourret 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 Moffatt Township
Where can I hike in Moffatt Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, 20.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Moffatt 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 Moffatt Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit and Moffatt Township Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Moffatt Township?
14,990 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Moffatt Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 43 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Moffatt Township have?
Ahead of 57% 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 Moffatt 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 →