Ludington School Forest Trails
Park
123 acres9.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Pere Marquette Township
Pere Marquette Township has 868 acres of parks, 301 for every 1,000 residents
16 miles of mapped trail cross Pere Marquette Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ludington School Forest Trails (9.3 mi), Mason County Picnic Area (0.8 mi). 53% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
301 acres · of 14.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
868 ac
301 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.9 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 0.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Pere Marquette Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pere Marquette Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pere Marquette Township is ahead of 78% 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 Pere Marquette Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land301 acres of park per 1,000 residents (868 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home53% 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 78%
LessMore
Water is 11% of Pere Marquette Township’s area (2 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Ludington School Forest Trails, with 9.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mason County Picnic Area
Managed by Mason County
88 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pere Marquette State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
292 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pere Marquette Conservation Park
Managed by Pere Marquette Charter Township
230 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Ludington School Forest Trails123 acres · 9.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMason County Picnic Area88 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Mason County
DirectionsRiver Access Park36 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Pere Marquette Township
DirectionsSutton's Landing Township Park33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Pere Marquette Charter Township
DirectionsPere Marquette State Game Area292 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPere Marquette Conservation Park230 acres · Pere Marquette Charter Township
DirectionsInman Road Property36 acres · Mason County
Memorial Tree Park34 acres · Pere Marquette Charter Township
Buttersville Park22 acres · Pere Marquette Charter Township
DirectionsWest Michigan Underwater Preserve12 acres
DirectionsFather Marquette Park and Shrine3 acres
DirectionsCartier Park2 acres · City of Ludington
Who protects it
301 conserved acres
3% of Pere Marquette Township’s land. Water is left out: Pere Marquette Township has 14.1 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Pere Marquette Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners134 ac
County97 ac
Town or city70 ac
Private Park · 134 acLocal Park · 78 acLocal Recreation Area · 52 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 36 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Links Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 109 | Restricted |
| Mason Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 52 | Restricted |
| Mason County Campground Private Recreation or Education | County | 36 | Open |
| Memorial Tree Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Epworth Heights Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 26 | Restricted |
| Butterfield County Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Mason County Picnic Area Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Buttersville Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Sutton'S Landing Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Father Marquette Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Pere Marquette Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pere Marquette Township
McDonald's PlayPlaceHours: Mon–Sun 7 am – 7 pm
DirectionsBoat launches in Pere Marquette Township
5 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Pere Marquette Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Pere Marquette Township
Buttersville CampgroundHours: May 15 - Oct 15 · In Buttersville Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Pere Marquette Township
The BridgeCornerstone Baptist Church
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
4.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Tennis
4Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pere Marquette 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 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Pere Marquette Township →
Next door
Pere Marquette Township and its neighbors
Pere Marquette Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hamlin Township31 miPere Marquette Township16 miLudington5.5 miAmber Township2.4 miRiverton Township1.8 miSummit Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pere Marquette Township | 3% | 1.1 | 301 | 53% | A− |
| Hamlin Township | 30% | 1.1 | 627 | 37% | A |
| Ludington | 6% | 1.6 | 24 | 86% | A |
| Amber Township | 2% | 0.1 | 2 | 21% | C− |
| Summit Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Riverton Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 4% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pere Marquette Township
Where can I hike in Pere Marquette Township?
The longest trail networks: Ludington School Forest Trails, 9.3 miles; Mason County Picnic Area, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pere Marquette Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Pere Marquette Township’s trails?
Ludington School Forest Trails and Mason County Picnic Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pere Marquette Township?
4.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 0.8 of off-road paths and 4.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Pere Marquette Township?
15,485 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pere Marquette Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 868 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pere Marquette Township have?
Ahead of 78% 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 Pere Marquette 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 →