Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
3,088 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
PEWABIC (propeller) Shipwreck Site · Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Sanborn Township
Sanborn Township has 5,154 acres of parks, 2,372 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Sanborn Township’s land is conserved, about 5,238 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit (1.2 mi). 31% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
5,238 acres · of 43.8 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,154 ac
2,372 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
Lakes & rivers
3
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sanborn Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sanborn Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sanborn Township is ahead of 76% 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 Sanborn Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land2,372 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,154 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home31% 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 76%
LessMore
Water is 12% of Sanborn Township’s area (6 of 50 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 17%.
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 Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
3,731 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bird Island Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit3,088 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsThunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary3,731 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
DirectionsBird Island Nature Sanctuary15 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit14 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Ossineke Park8 acres
DirectionsMichigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge6 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Michigan Islands Wilderness6 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Devils River Boat Launch5 acres · Sanborn Township
DirectionsSanborn Park4 acres · Sanborn Township
DirectionsWho protects it
5,238 conserved acres
19% of Sanborn Township’s land. Water is left out: Sanborn Township has 43.8 square miles of land and 5.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Sanborn Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,197 ac
State parks2,025 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service11 ac
Town or city10 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,123 acState Park · 2,099 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 11 acLocal Park · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3,123 | Open |
| Negwegon State Park State Park | State parks | 2,099 | Open |
| Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 11 | Restricted |
| Sanborn Field Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Sanborn Beach Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Sanborn Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Sanborn Township
Bebe Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Sanborn Township
Shin-Ga-Ba Shores PlaygroundIn Ossineke Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Sanborn Township
Snug Harbor Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Sanborn Township
Blue Bell Campsite
DirectionsOssineke State Forest CampgroundFee · In Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPewabic Campsite
DirectionsSouth Point Campsite
DirectionsTwin Pines Campsite
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.8 mi
Algonquin Trail2.7 mi
Chippewa Trail1.2 mi
4WD0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Baseball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sanborn Township: May, June and 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 30 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.5 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Sanborn Township →
Next door
Sanborn Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Ossineke Township116 miAlpena Township91 miCaledonia Township77 miAlcona Township47 miSanborn Township13 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanborn Township | 19% | 0.3 | 2,372 | 31% | A− |
| Alpena Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ossineke Township | 9% | 1.1 | 3,129 | 23% | A− |
| Caledonia Township | under 1% | 1.1 | 102 | 22% | B− |
| Alcona 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 Sanborn Township
Where can I hike in Sanborn Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sanborn Township is conserved land?
19% 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 Sanborn Township’s trails?
Mackinac State Forest - Atlanta Unit and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sanborn Township?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Sanborn Township?
36,536 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sanborn Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,154 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sanborn Township have?
Ahead of 76% 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 Sanborn 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 →