Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,182 acres24.5 mi of trail
Sandy TrailSt. Helen ORV Route
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Eggleston School · Photo: Notorious4life · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Nester Township
More than half of Nester Township’s land is conserved: 58%
58% of Nester Township’s land is conserved, about 26,283 acres. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit (24.5 mi). 25,264 acres are parks and preserves, 138,052 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
58%
26,283 acres · of 71.3 sq mi of land
Trails
147 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
25,264 ac
138,052 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
29
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 24.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
26,283 conserved acres
58% of Nester Township’s land. Who manages Nester Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners25,088 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,202 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 20,341 acPrivate Park · 4,747 acConservation Easement · 1,202 acPrivate Conservation · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,195 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Forest Lodge Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 17,957 | Open |
| Benmark Club Private Park | Private owners | 2,486 | Open |
| Twenty-five Hundred Corp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 2,384 | Open |
| Roseville Nester Gun Club Private Park | Private owners | 1,280 | Open |
| Wilhoga Club Private Park | Private owners | 658 | Open |
| Bayshore Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 322 | Open |
| Sugar Springs Hunting Preserve Private Conservation | Private owners | 1 | Closed |
Trails & water
6 named trails and 29 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.8 mi
Sandy Trail1.0 mi
Rail Ridge0.7 mi
Trailor Park Trail0.6 mi
St. Helen ORV Route0.5 mi
Trophy RIdge0.2 mi
Trailor Pk Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Atchel LakepondBeaver LakelakeCampbell LakelakeClear LakelakeCoan MillpondpondDoyle LakepondDunham LakelakeEast Twin LakelakeEddy LakepondHeadquarters LakepondHuntley LakepondKnowland LakelakeLeith LakepondLittle Headquarters LakepondLittle LakepondLittle Woods LakepondMarl LakepondRollway LakelakeRound LakelakeRust Eaton LakelakeRyan LakepondSlide LakepondSpring LakelakeSpruce LakelakeSugar LakelakeWilling LakepondWoods LakepondYoung LakepondSugar River
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Eggleston SchoolBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Nester 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 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Nester Township →
Next door
Nester Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Roscommon Township250 miRichfield Township167 miNester Township147 miBackus Township68 miSherman Township41 miFranklin Township37 miEdwards Township5.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nester Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Roscommon Township | 13% | 2.4 | 1,488 | 21% | A |
| Backus Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Edwards Township | under 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Richfield Township | 5% | 2.4 | 596 | 45% | A− |
| Sherman Township | 23% | 1.2 | 5,048 | 5% | A− |
| Franklin 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 Nester Township
Where can I hike in Nester Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit, 24.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Nester Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Nester Township?
46,433 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nester Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 25,264 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Nester 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 →