Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY 4.0Schoolcraft Township has 854 acres of parks, 92 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Swan Park (1.2 mi), Gourdneck State Game Area (1 mi). 6% of Schoolcraft Township’s land is conserved, about 1,286 acres. 47% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #342 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Schoolcraft Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Schoolcraft Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Schoolcraft Township is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #342 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Swan Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gourdneck State Game Area
Justin's Marsh
All 10 parks & preserves
1,286 conserved acres
6% of Schoolcraft Township’s land. Who manages Schoolcraft Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 65 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gourdneck State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 543 | Open |
| Prairie View County Park Local Park | County | 198 | Open |
| Richardson, Lawrence Lewis Unknown | State Department of Land | 137 | Open |
| States Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 122 | Restricted |
| Justin's Marsh Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 86 | Restricted |
| Richardson, Robert C Richardson Trust Unknown | State Department of Land | 82 | Open |
| Vicksburg Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Clark Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Birch Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Sunset Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
23 places to go in Schoolcraft Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
10 lakes & rivers
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
3 places 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.
The best walking months in Schoolcraft Township: April and July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Schoolcraft Township →
Schoolcraft Township and its neighbors
Schoolcraft Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schoolcraft Township | 6% | 0.2 | 92 | 47% | B |
| Brady Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 6 | 18% | C− |
| Prairie Ronde Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 5% | D |
| Park Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 37 | 10% | C− |
| Vicksburg | 4% | 1.4 | 21 | 55% | B+ |
| Portage | 13% | 0.5 | 55 | 71% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Schoolcraft Township
Where can I hike in Schoolcraft Township?
The longest trail networks: Swan Park, 1.2 miles; Gourdneck State Game Area, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Schoolcraft Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Schoolcraft Township’s trails?
Swan Park and Gourdneck State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Schoolcraft Township?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes, 0.6 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Schoolcraft Township?
7,877 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Schoolcraft Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 854 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Schoolcraft Township have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #342 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 Schoolcraft Township neighbors.
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 →