Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
9,662 acres26.4 mi of trail
North Country National Scenic TrailMCCT - Big O SpurNFS 6260Jigger Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Marlborough Historic District · Photo: Great Northern Portland Cement Co · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Pleasant Plains Township
44% of Pleasant Plains Township’s land is conserved: 9,926 acres
54 miles of mapped trail cross Pleasant Plains Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District (26.4 mi). 56 acres are parks and preserves, 28 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
9,926 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
56 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.5 mi
2.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
19
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Pleasant Plains Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pleasant Plains Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pleasant Plains Township is ahead of 89% 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 Pleasant Plains Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (56 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home56% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
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 Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District, with 26.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Baldwin River Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
28 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Baldwin Hatchery Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
17 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
M-37 Bridge Boating Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
16 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District9,662 acres · 26.4 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsBaldwin River Boating Access Site28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Weavers Landing River Access Site3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Baldwin Hatchery Boating Access Site17 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
M-37 Bridge Boating Access Site16 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsThe Forks Boating Access Site3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Pere Marquette Floodplain Plant Preserve2 acres · Michigan Nature Association
North Lake Boating Access Site1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
9,926 conserved acres
44% of Pleasant Plains Township’s land. Who manages Pleasant Plains Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service9,663 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits252 ac
Town or city10 ac
Private owners4 ac
National Forest · 9,663 acConservation Easement · 178 acUnknown Easement · 74 acLocal Park · 10 acPrivate Park · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 248 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 | 9,663 | Open |
| Hollister Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Marquette Trails Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 4 | Restricted |
Things to do
5 places to go in Pleasant Plains Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pleasant Plains Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Pleasant Plains Township
M-37 Bridge Boat Launch
DirectionsNorth Lake Boat LaunchIn North Lake Boating Access Site
DirectionsFishing spots in Pleasant Plains Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Pleasant Plains Township
Claybanks CampgroundIn Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District · US Forest Service
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 19 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.8 mi
North Country National Scenic Trail5.7 mi
MCCT - Big O Spur4.2 mi
Jigger Trail1.3 mi
NFS 62601.2 mi
NFS 62640.8 mi
Muffler Alley0.5 mi
NFS 62630.4 mi
NFS 53920.4 mi
NFS 90980.4 mi
NFS 62420.4 mi
1 more trails
NFS 6623
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Danaher LakereservoirForeman LakeslakeHamlin LakelakeJenks LakelakeLittle Lake Number 1lakeLittle Lake Number 2lakeLittle Lake Number 3lakeMud LakelakeNorth LakelakeNorth PondlakeRattlesnake LakelakeSouth LakelakeSpruce LakelakeStevens LakelakeWatermill LakelakeBaldwin RiverLittle South Branch Pere Marquette RiverMiddle Branch Pere Marquette RiverPere Marquette River
Biking & sports
2.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Tennis
4Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Marlborough Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1972
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Pleasant Plains 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 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Pleasant Plains Township →
Next door
Pleasant Plains Township and its neighbors
Pleasant Plains Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pleasant Plains Township54 miLake Township47 miWebber Township42 miLilley Township39 miYates Township21 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Plains Township | 44% | 1.5 | 28 | 56% | A |
| Yates Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Webber Township | 51% | 1.2 | 1,413 | 34% | A |
| Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lilley 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 Pleasant Plains Township
Where can I hike in Pleasant Plains Township?
The longest trail networks: Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District, 26.4 miles; Baldwin River Boating Access Site, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pleasant Plains Township is conserved land?
44% 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 Pleasant Plains Township’s trails?
Manistee National Forest - Baldwin Ranger District and Baldwin River Boating Access Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pleasant Plains Township?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pleasant Plains Township?
170,624 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pleasant Plains Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,540 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pleasant Plains Township have?
Ahead of 89% 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 Pleasant Plains 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 →