Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
8,110 acres23.3 mi of trail
Sandtown Motorcycle TrailForest TrailOld Bryan Grade
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
–Not graded
Outdoors in Portage Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Portage Township
The biggest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit (23.3 mi). 8% of Portage Township’s land is conserved, about 2,804 acres. 2,789 acres are parks and preserves, 3,422 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
8%
2,804 acres · of 55.4 sq mi of land
Trails
52 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,789 ac
3,422 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 6 boat launches
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 Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit, with 23.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Portage Township Park
Park
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Portage Township Community Recreation Area
Park
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Curtis Park
Park
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,804 conserved acres
8% of Portage Township’s land. Water is left out: Portage Township has 55.4 square miles of land and 16.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Portage Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,768 ac
Other state land29 ac
Town or city7 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,768 acConservation Easement · 29 acLocal Park · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,768 | Open |
| Portage Township Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Boat Ramp and Picnic Area Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Portage Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Portage Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Portage Township
Cooks Bay Boat Launch
DirectionsCurtis Boat LaunchIn Portage Township Park
DirectionsDunkles Landing Boat Launch
DirectionsPortage Township Park Boat Launch
DirectionsSouth Manistique Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsWolf Bay Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Sandtown Motorcycle Trail8.4 mi
Forest Trail3.0 mi
Old Bryan Grade2.5 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Tennis
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, June 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 27 | 37 | 49 | 63 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 67 | 54 | 41 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Portage Township →
Next door
Portage Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Garfield Township201 miNewton Township128 miPortage Township52 miGermfask Township52 miLakefield Township48 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Garfield Township | 1% | 1.5 | 403 | 22% | B |
| Newton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lakefield Township | 21% | 0.8 | 7,370 | 40% | A |
| Germfask 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 Portage Township
Where can I hike in Portage Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit, 23.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Portage Township’s trails?
Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit and Portage Township Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Portage Township?
78,184 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Portage Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,789 of them inside the town line.
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 →