Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
10,548 acres36.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Portage Township
Portage Township has 11,327 acres of parks, 3,534 for every 1,000 residents
168 miles of mapped trail cross Portage Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. 18% of Portage Township’s land is conserved, about 12,719 acres. The biggest trail networks: Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit (36.1 mi), Pilgrim River Community Forest (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #52 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
12,719 acres · of 112.0 sq mi of land
Trails
168 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
11,327 ac
3,534 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Portage Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Portage Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Portage Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #52 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Portage Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (168 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land3,534 acres of park per 1,000 residents (11,327 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home51% 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 92%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 93%
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 Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit, with 36.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pilgrim River Community Forest
Managed by Keweenaw Land Trust
272 acres2.6 mi of trail
Pilgrim River Community Forest Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
River Bend Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
39 acres
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Sarah Catherine Rockafellow Memorial Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
34 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit10,548 acres · 36.1 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Pilgrim River Community Forest272 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Keweenaw Land Trust
DirectionsRiver Bend Nature Sanctuary39 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Sarah Catherine Rockafellow Memorial Nature Sanctuary34 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Sally M. Ollila Memorial Woodland18 acres · Keweenaw Land Trust
Hurontown Recreation Area15 acres · Portage Township
DirectionsPreserve10 acres · Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District
Raymond Kestner Waterfront Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
12,719 conserved acres
18% of Portage Township’s land. Who manages Portage Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources10,595 ac
Joint1,306 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits345 ac
Other state land264 ac
Town or city94 ac
Private owners89 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)43 ac
State Conservation Area · 10,666 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,306 acPrivate Conservation · 273 acLocal Recreation Area · 270 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 89 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,333 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baraga State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 10,595 | Open |
| Pilgrim Community Forest Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 273 | Open |
| Portage Lake Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 165 | Restricted |
| Michigan Tech Trails And Nara Nature Park Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 99 | Open |
| Township of Portage Park Local Park | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Roaring Camp Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 50 | Open |
| River Bend State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 39 | Open |
| Girl Scouts Council Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 39 | Open |
| Rockafellow State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 32 | Open |
| City of Houghton Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Portage Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Portage Township
Otter Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsOtter Lake Dam Boat LaunchIn Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Portage Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Portage Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.9 miUnpaved · 48.1 mi
Pilgrim River Community Forest Trail2.6 mi
Singletrack (Jct 3 to 6)1.6 mi
Two Track (Jct 2 to 6)0.7 mi
Bill Nicholls Trail0.7 mi
Portage Loop0.7 mi
Two Track (Jct 2 to 3)0.6 mi
Homestead Loop0.6 mi
Cemetery Loop0.5 mi
Maple Loop0.5 mi
Skidder Loop0.4 mi
5 more trails
Cut Across (Jct 4 to 5)
0.3 miP540C
0.3 miHairpin Loop
0.3 miTwo Track (Jct 1 to 2)
0.2 miRacer's Return
0.2 miBiking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Bill Nicholls TrailBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
2Baseball
2Tennis
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Portage Township: May 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 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 26 | 37 | 49 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 68 | 54 | 39 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Portage Township →
Next door
Portage Township and its neighbors
Portage Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Baraga Township255 miPortage Township168 miAdams Township117 miTorch Lake Township73 miChassell Township25 miHoughton20 miHancock12 miHurontown0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Township | 18% | 1.5 | 3,534 | 51% | A |
| Houghton | 20% | 4.4 | 65 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Adams Township | 2% | 2.5 | 238 | 68% | A− |
| Chassell Township | 17% | 0.5 | 2,478 | 37% | A− |
| Hancock | 10% | 4.1 | 40 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Hurontown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Torch Lake Township | 3% | 0.9 | 1,373 | 58% | A− |
| Baraga Township | 27% | 1.4 | 2,748 | 50% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Portage Township
Where can I hike in Portage Township?
The longest trail networks: Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit, 36.1 miles; Pilgrim River Community Forest, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Portage Township is conserved land?
18% 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 Portage Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Pilgrim River Community Forest (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Portage Township?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths. Named routes: Bill Nicholls Trail.
Is there public land near Portage Township?
77,092 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Portage Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 11,327 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Portage Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #52 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 Portage 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 →