Flat River State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,009 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Otisco Township
Otisco Township has 924 acres of parks, 449 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Flat River State Game Area (0.5 mi). 17% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Otisco Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
985 acres · of 31.0 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
924 ac
449 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.1 mi
6.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Otisco Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Otisco Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Otisco Township is ahead of 49% 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 Otisco Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land449 acres of park per 1,000 residents (924 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home17% 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 49%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C 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 Flat River State Game Area, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
985 conserved acres
5% of Otisco Township’s land. Who manages Otisco Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife913 ac
Private owners41 ac
State natural resources28 ac
Town or city3 ac
State Conservation Area · 942 acPrivate Park · 41 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat River State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 942 | Open |
| Ridgeview Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 41 | Restricted |
| Lightning Bend Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
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 Otisco Township: June 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Otisco Township →
Next door
Otisco Township and its neighbors
Otisco Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Eureka Township12 miOtisco Township2.4 miKeene Township2.1 miOrleans Township1.8 miGrattan Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otisco Township | 5% | 0.1 | 449 | 17% | B− |
| Orleans Township | 6% | 0.1 | 542 | 39% | B |
| Grattan Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 17 | 26% | C |
| Keene Township | 5% | 0.1 | 652 | 33% | B− |
| Eureka Township | 23% | 0.4 | 961 | 46% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Otisco Township
Where can I hike in Otisco Township?
The longest trail networks: Flat River State Game Area, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Otisco Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Otisco Township’s trails?
Flat River State Game Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Otisco Township?
6.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Otisco Township?
24,987 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Otisco Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 924 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Otisco Township have?
Ahead of 49% 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 Otisco 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 →