Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
36,104 acres193 mi of trail
Atlanta ORV TRAILAtlanta ORV ROUTEHigh Country PathwayBone Yard Highway+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Montmorency Township
Montmorency Township has 39,813 acres of parks, 31,056 for every 1,000 residents
46% of Montmorency Township’s land is conserved, about 40,041 acres. 335 miles of mapped trail cross Montmorency Township, 2.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit (193 mi), Pigeon River Country State Forest (20.1 mi), Clear Lake State Park (4.9 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
46%
40,041 acres · of 136.6 sq mi of land
Trails
335 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
39,813 ac
31,056 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.0 mi
7.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
31
3 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Montmorency Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Montmorency Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Montmorency Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Montmorency Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land46% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (335 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land31,056 acres of park per 1,000 residents (39,813 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home68% 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 98%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 193 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pigeon River Country State Forest
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
3,761 acres20.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Clear Lake State Park
Nature preserve
287 acres4.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gaylord Fishing Club
Nature preserve
261 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit36,104 acres · 193 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPigeon River Country State Forest3,761 acres · 20.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Clear Lake State Park287 acres · 4.9 mi of trail
DirectionsGaylord Fishing Club261 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Sportsmasters Club285 acres
Tibbits Landing1 acres · Canada Creek Ranch
Who protects it
40,041 conserved acres
46% of Montmorency Township’s land. Who manages Montmorency Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources39,335 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits309 ac
State parks295 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service155 ac
State Conservation Area · 39,335 acConservation Easement · 388 acState Park · 295 acConservation Area · 75 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 388 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 26,614 | Open |
| Kirtland Warbler Unit Clear Lake State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 9,405 | Open |
| Pigeon River Country State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3,197 | Open |
| Clear Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 295 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 120 | Restricted |
| Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area Conservation Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 75 | Restricted |
Things to do
14 places to go in Montmorency Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Montmorency Township
The Beach at Canada Creek Ranch
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Montmorency Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Montmorency Township
Clear Lake Day-Use Boat Launch
DirectionsClear Lake State Park Boat LaunchIn Clear Lake State Park
DirectionsRush Lake Flooding Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Montmorency Township
Clear Lake State Park CampgroundIn Clear Lake State Park
DirectionsTown Corner Lake State Forest CampgroundIn Pigeon River Country State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Montmorency Township
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 31 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.1 miUnpaved · 7.6 mi
Atlanta ORV TRAIL20.9 mi
Atlanta ORV ROUTE15.2 mi
High Country Pathway2.2 mi
Bone Yard Highway0.6 mi
Ranch House Trail0.6 mi
Feather Fern Trail0.5 mi
East Dowsett Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Anchor LakelakeBedore LakelakeBlue LakesClear LakelakeCranberry LakelakeDollar LakeFoch LakesreservoirGassel LakeGrass LakelakeHorsehead LakelakeHorseshoe LakelakeLake GenevalakeLake La BargelakeLittle Joe LakelakeLong LakelakeLong Lake PondLost LakelakeLower Tomahawk LakelakeRainy River FloodingreservoirRibble LakelakeRush LakelakeStewart LakelakeTown Corner LakeTwin Tomahawk LakeslakeUpper Tomahawk LakelakeVirginia LakelakeWalled LakelakeWest Town Corner LakelakeWildfowl LakelakeBlack RiverNorth Branch Thunder Bay River
Biking & sports
7.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.0 mi
off-road bike paths
High Country PathwayBike route
3.1 miCourts & fields
3Tennis
2Beach volleyball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Montmorency Township: May 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 39 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Montmorency Township →
Next door
Montmorency Township and its neighbors
Montmorency Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Montmorency Township335 miCorwith Township172 miHillman Township133 miBriley Township126 miVienna Township101 miForest Township84 miBismarck Township81 miWellington Township21 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montmorency Township | 46% | 2.4 | 31,056 | 68% | A+ |
| Hillman Township | 45% | 2.0 | 9,508 | 73% | A+ |
| Briley Township | 47% | 1.8 | 11,172 | 75% | A+ |
| Corwith Township | 48% | 1.6 | 19,421 | 35% | A |
| Vienna Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bismarck Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wellington Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Forest 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 Montmorency Township
Where can I hike in Montmorency Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, 193 miles; Pigeon River Country State Forest, 20.1 miles; Clear Lake State Park, 4.9 miles; Gaylord Fishing Club, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Montmorency Township is conserved land?
46% 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 Montmorency Township’s trails?
Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit and Pigeon River Country State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Montmorency Township?
7.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.0 of off-road paths. Named routes: High Country Pathway.
Is there public land near Montmorency Township?
237,884 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Montmorency Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 39,813 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Montmorency Township have?
Ahead of 98% 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 Montmorency 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 →