Au Train Basin State Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
1,399 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rock River Township
Rock River Township has 2,962 acres of parks, 2,525 for every 1,000 residents
17% of Rock River Township’s land is conserved, about 8,950 acres. The biggest trail networks: Au Train Basin State Wildlife Area (1.8 mi), Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South) (1.2 mi), Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park (1.2 mi). 26% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
8,950 acres · of 80.7 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,962 ac
2,525 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Rock River Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rock River Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rock River Township is ahead of 77% 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 Rock River Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land2,525 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,962 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home26% 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 77%
LessMore
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 Au Train Basin State Wildlife Area, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South)
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7,909 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
515 acres1.2 mi of trail
North Country Trail—Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park SpurLaughing Whitefish Falls State Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Debelak Reserve
Managed by Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
313 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Au Train Basin State Wildlife Area1,399 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South)7,909 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park515 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDebelak Reserve313 acres · Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
Centennial Park27 acres · Rock River Township
Alger County Fairgrounds12 acres · Chatham Lions Club
Who protects it
8,950 conserved acres
17% of Rock River Township’s land. Who manages Rock River Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service5,602 ac
State fish & wildlife1,402 ac
Other state land666 ac
State parks523 ac
Private owners358 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits319 ac
State natural resources81 ac
National Forest · 5,602 acState Conservation Area · 1,483 acPrivate Conservation · 677 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 659 acState Park · 523 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 5,602 | Open |
| Au Train Basin State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,402 | Open |
| Michigan State University Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 659 | Open |
| Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park State Park | State parks | 523 | Open |
| Snow Owl Outdoor Club Private Conservation | Private owners | 358 | Open |
| Debelak Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 319 | Restricted |
| MNRTF Parcel State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 42 | Restricted |
| MNRTF Parcel 51 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 39 | Restricted |
Things to do
3 places to go in Rock River Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Rock River Township
Laughing White Fish FallsIn Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park
DirectionsScenic views in Rock River Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 18.2 mi
Coalwood Trail5.4 mi
North Country Trail3.6 mi
Eben Ice Caves Trail0.7 mi
North Country Trail—Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park Spur0.6 mi
Forest Road 2276I0.5 mi
Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park Trail0.5 mi
Twenty Four Grade0.5 mi
Slapneck Spur C0.4 mi
Forest Road 2483D0.3 mi
Forest Road 2018B0.3 mi
6 more trails
Forest Road 2276IA
0.3 miForest Road 2483E
0.2 miForest Road 2867A
0.1 miForest Road 2018A
0.1 miForest Road 2486A
0.1 miForest Road 2486B
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
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
3Baseball
1Hockey rinks
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rock River 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 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 27 | 37 | 49 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 68 | 54 | 40 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rock River Township →
Next door
Rock River Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Au Train Township270 miOnota Township78 miLimestone Township39 miRock River Township35 miSkandia Township19 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock River Township | 17% | 0.4 | 2,525 | 26% | A− |
| Limestone Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Onota Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Skandia Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Au Train Township | 58% | 1.9 | 43 | 16% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rock River Township
Where can I hike in Rock River Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Train Basin State Wildlife Area, 1.8 miles; Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South), 1.2 miles; Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rock River Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Rock River Township’s trails?
Au Train Basin State Wildlife Area and Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South) don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rock River Township?
87,499 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rock River Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,397 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rock River Township have?
Ahead of 77% 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 Rock River 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 →