Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
6,265 acres30.4 mi of trail
Chub Lake RidgeAu Sable TrailKirtlandHayesego Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Otsego Lake Township
Otsego Lake Township has 54 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
146 acres are parks and preserves, 50 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (30.4 mi), Otsego Lake State Park (0.5 mi). 16% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #406 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
170 acres · of 32.7 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
146 ac
50 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.1 mi
6.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
22
3 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Otsego Lake Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Otsego Lake Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Otsego Lake Township is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #406 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Otsego Lake Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%CTrails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land50 acres of park per 1,000 residents (146 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home16% 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 55%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 42%
Water is 8% of Otsego Lake Township’s area (3 of 35 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
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 Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, with 30.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Otsego Lake State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
54 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Remi and Edna Schotte Memorial Township Park
Managed by Otsego Lake Township
77 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit6,265 acres · 30.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsOtsego Lake State Park54 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsAu Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRemi and Edna Schotte Memorial Township Park77 acres · Otsego Lake Township
DirectionsBig Bradford Lake Public Access7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsOpal Lake Public Access3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Heart Lake Public Access1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
170 conserved acres
1% of Otsego Lake Township’s land. Water is left out: Otsego Lake Township has 32.7 square miles of land and 2.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Otsego Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners111 ac
Other state land54 ac
Town or city5 ac
Private Park · 111 acState Park · 54 acLocal Park · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michawye Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 111 | Restricted |
| Otsego Lake State Park State Park | Other state land | 54 | Open |
| Schotte Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Otsego Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Otsego Lake Township
Main BeachIn Otsego Lake State Park
DirectionsNorth BeachIn Otsego Lake State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Otsego Lake Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Otsego Lake Township
Big Chub Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsBradford Lake Boat LaunchIn Big Bradford Lake Public Access
DirectionsHeart Lake Public Boat LaunchIn Heart Lake Public Access
DirectionsLittle Bradford Lake Public Boat Launch
DirectionsOpal Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Otsego Lake Township
Lake Marjory State Forest CampgroundHours: Apr01-Nov01 · In Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit · Ostego State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 22 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.0 mi
Dove Trail1.3 mi
Au Sable Trail1.3 mi
Maple Ridge Trail1.2 mi
Raven Trail1.1 mi
Chub Lake Ridge0.7 mi
Kirtland0.5 mi
Ram Net Ranch0.5 mi
Hayesego Trail0.4 mi
Lynx Trail0.3 mi
Aspen0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bass LakelakeBell Marie LakereservoirBelmore LakelakeBig Bradford LakelakeBig Chub LakelakeBridge LakelakeChub LakeslakeDodge LakelakeGuthrie LakelakeHatch LakelakeHeart LakelakeIsland LakeJean LakeLake MarjorylakeLake MichaywepondLinton LakelakeLittle Bradford LakelakeOpal LakelakeViking LakelakeWhispering LakepondChub CreekNorth Branch Au Sable River
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
4Tennis
2Pickleball
1Basketball
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 Otsego Lake 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 28 | 39 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 69 | 55 | 41 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 3.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Otsego Lake Township →
Next door
Otsego Lake Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hayes Township203 miChester Township100 miMaple Forest Township78 miOtsego Lake Township54 miBagley Township22 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego Lake Township | 1% | 1.7 | 50 | 16% | B |
| Bagley Township | 3% | 0.8 | 10 | 18% | C+ |
| Chester Township | 1% | 1.5 | 1 | 11% | C |
| Maple Forest Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hayes Township | 1% | 2.9 | 3 | 14% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Otsego Lake Township
Where can I hike in Otsego Lake Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 30.4 miles; Otsego Lake State Park, 0.5 miles; Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Otsego Lake Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Otsego Lake Township’s trails?
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit and Otsego Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Otsego Lake Township?
6.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Otsego Lake Township?
19,463 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Otsego Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 146 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Otsego Lake Township have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #406 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Otsego Lake 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 →