Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
17,581 acres57.2 mi of trail
NFS 5219Swedish FiddleBindle StiffManistee SMT DNR6+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Norman Township
More than half of Norman Township’s land is conserved: 56%
56% of Norman Township’s land is conserved, about 25,520 acres. 101 miles of mapped trail cross Norman Township, 1.4 per square mile of land. 69 acres are parks and preserves, 41 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
56%
25,520 acres · of 70.8 sq mi of land
Trails
101 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
69 ac
41 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
11
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Norman Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Norman Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Norman Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Norman Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land56% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (101 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land41 acres of park per 1,000 residents (69 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home21% 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 83%
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 Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District, with 57.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Manistee National Forest - Cadillac Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
7,372 acres21.2 mi of trail
Forest Road 7350
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District17,581 acres · 57.2 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsManistee National Forest - Cadillac Ranger District7,372 acres · 21.2 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsDorner Lake Recreation Area12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Manistee-Huron National Forests
Lower Peninsula Experimental Forest1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Crystal Lake Township Park22 acres
DirectionsCooley Bridge Roadside Park13 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
25,520 conserved acres
56% of Norman Township’s land. Who manages Norman Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service25,272 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits224 ac
Town or city26 ac
National Forest · 25,249 acUnknown Easement · 224 acLocal Park · 26 acOther Easement · 13 acConservation Easement · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 245 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 25,249 | Open |
| Tippy Dam Backwater Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Norman Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Norman Township
Crystal Lake Swimming AreaIn Crystal Lake Township Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Norman Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Norman Township
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Norman Township
Dorner Lake Boat LaunchIn Dorner Lake Recreation Area
DirectionsLow Bridge Canoe Landing
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Norman Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Norman Township
Loomis Landing Campground and Marina
DirectionsPine Lake Recreation AreaIn Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District · US Forest Service
DirectionsSand Lake Recreation Area CampgroundIn Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.1 miUnpaved · 65.1 mi
NFS 52193.4 mi
Swedish Fiddle2.3 mi
Manistee SMT DNR61.5 mi
Bindle Stiff1.5 mi
NFS 87641.2 mi
NFS 50770.9 mi
Arboretum Trail0.9 mi
NFS 87460.8 mi
NFS 50950.8 mi
NFS 87580.5 mi
12 more trails
North Country National Scenic Trail
0.4 miLake Woods
0.4 miNFS 8729
0.4 miNFS 5096
0.3 miGabriel's Horn
0.3 miNFS 9709
0.3 miNFS 8705
0.2 miForest Road 7350
0.2 miNFS 8655
0.2 miNFS 8683
0.1 miNFS 8703
0.1 miUdell Hills SMT Sidelop DNR614
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
All TrailsBike route
4.1 miLittle Loop (Red)Bike route
2.8 miGroomed Snowmobile TrailsBike route
1.3 miLittle Loop (Yellow)Bike route
0.9 miOuter LoopBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
2Tennis
2Basketball
1Baseball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Norman 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Norman Township →
Next door
Norman Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dickson Township111 miStronach Township105 miNorman Township101 miSouth Branch Township63 miEden Township61 miElk Township36 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Township | 56% | 1.4 | 41 | 21% | A− |
| Dickson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stronach Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| South Branch Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Elk Township | 40% | 1.0 | 2 | 15% | B− |
| Eden 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 Norman Township
Where can I hike in Norman Township?
The longest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District, 57.2 miles; Manistee National Forest - Cadillac Ranger District, 21.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Norman Township is conserved land?
56% 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 Norman Township’s trails?
Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District and Manistee National Forest - Cadillac Ranger District don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Norman Township?
204,428 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Norman Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 21,807 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Norman Township have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Norman 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 →