Ottawa National Forest - Ontonagon Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
6,847 acres10.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ontonagon Township
Ontonagon Township has 7,185 acres of parks, 3,362 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Ontonagon Township’s land is conserved, about 24,973 acres. 163 miles of mapped trail cross Ontonagon Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ottawa National Forest - Ontonagon Ranger District (10.2 mi), Ottawa National Forest - Bergland Ranger District (7.8 mi), Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit (3.9 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
24,973 acres · of 193.8 sq mi of land
Trails
163 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,185 ac
3,362 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
49%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.8 mi
0.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ontonagon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam3,362 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild20% of the land is conserved; a typical Michigan town, 5%.A trail town0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 76% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ontonagon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ontonagon Township is ahead of 90% 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 Ontonagon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (163 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land3,362 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7,185 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home49% 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 90%
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 Ottawa National Forest - Ontonagon Ranger District, with 10.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ottawa National Forest - Bergland Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
11,120 acres7.8 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
6,004 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ontonagon Township Park
Managed by Ontonagon Township
80 acres0.3 mi of trail
Wilderness Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Ottawa National Forest - Ontonagon Ranger District6,847 acres · 10.2 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Ottawa National Forest - Bergland Ranger District11,120 acres · 7.8 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit6,004 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Ontonagon Township Park80 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Ontonagon Township
DirectionsOntonagon Riverfront Park29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Ontonagon
DirectionsForests for the Future #18 Conservation Reserve41 acres · Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
Webber Park9 acres · Village of Ontonagon
DirectionsForests for the Future #19 Conservation Reserve9 acres · Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
River Road RV Park & Campground7 acres
Lakeshore Park7 acres · Village of Ontonagon
DirectionsTousignant Park5 acres · Village of Ontonagon
DirectionsRose Island Landing1 acres · Village of Ontonagon
Who protects it
24,973 conserved acres
20% of Ontonagon Township’s land. Who manages Ontonagon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service17,980 ac
State natural resources6,065 ac
County761 ac
Private owners142 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits24 ac
National Forest · 17,980 acState Conservation Area · 6,065 acLocal Resource Management Area · 761 acPrivate Park · 142 acPrivate Conservation · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 17,980 | Open |
| Baraga State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 6,065 | Open |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 761 | Open |
| Flint Fire Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 80 | Open |
| Ontonagon Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 62 | Restricted |
| Theodore Hunt Memorial Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 24 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Ontonagon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ontonagon Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Ontonagon Township
Ontonagon Municipal Ramp Boat LaunchIn Ontonagon Riverfront Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ontonagon Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Ontonagon Township
Ontonagon Township Park CampgroundFee · In Ontonagon Township Park · Ontonagon Township
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.4 mi
Channing and Ontonagon6.3 mi
Snowmobile Logging3.8 mi
North Country Trail2.7 mi
Snowmobile Trail2.0 mi
Snowmobile Rd Logging1.2 mi
Wilderness Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
0.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ontonagon Township: May, June and August
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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 27 | 37 | 49 | 63 | 72 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 54 | 40 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Ontonagon Township →
Next door
Ontonagon Township and its neighbors
Ontonagon Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Carp Lake Township192 miOntonagon Township163 miGreenland Township145 miBohemia Township143 miRockland Township111 miMatchwood Township85 miOntonagon4.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontonagon Township | 20% | 0.8 | 3,362 | 49% | A |
| Greenland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Carp Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ontonagon | under 1% | 1.2 | 95 | 74% | B+ |
| Rockland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Matchwood Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bohemia 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 Ontonagon Township
Where can I hike in Ontonagon Township?
The longest trail networks: Ottawa National Forest - Ontonagon Ranger District, 10.2 miles; Ottawa National Forest - Bergland Ranger District, 7.8 miles; Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit, 3.9 miles; Ontonagon Township Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ontonagon Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Ontonagon Township’s trails?
Ottawa National Forest - Ontonagon Ranger District and Ottawa National Forest - Bergland Ranger District don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ontonagon Township?
0.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ontonagon Township?
160,660 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ontonagon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 25,336 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ontonagon Township have?
Ahead of 90% 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 Ontonagon 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 →