Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7,453 acres38.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Sherman Township
Sherman Township has 4,735 acres of parks, 5,048 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Sherman Township’s land is conserved, about 5,085 acres. 41 miles of mapped trail cross Sherman Township, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit (38.3 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
5,085 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,735 ac
5,048 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
5%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
13
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sherman Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sherman Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sherman Township is ahead of 83% 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 Sherman Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5,048 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,735 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home5% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
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 Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, with 38.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
5,085 conserved acres
23% of Sherman Township’s land. Who manages Sherman Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife4,717 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits309 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service59 ac
Private owners13 ac
State Recreation Area · 4,717 acConservation Easement · 368 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 368 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin Game Unit and Field Trial Area of State Forest State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 4,717 | Open |
| Mid-Forest Lodge Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 13 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Sherman Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Sherman Township
Hoister Lake Boat LaunchIn Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
DirectionsHouse Lake Boat LaunchIn Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
DirectionsStreaked Lake Boat LaunchIn Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit
DirectionsTrails & water
13 lakes & rivers
When to get out
The best walking months in Sherman Township: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Sherman Township →
Next door
Sherman Township and its neighbors
Sherman Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Nester Township147 miSherman Township41 miFranklin Township37 miSage Township9.7 miButman Township1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman Township | 23% | 1.2 | 5,048 | 5% | A− |
| Butman Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 153 | 7% | C+ |
| Franklin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sage Township | 4% | 0.3 | 354 | 42% | B |
| Nester 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 Sherman Township
Where can I hike in Sherman Township?
The longest trail networks: Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit, 38.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sherman Township is conserved land?
23% 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 Sherman Township’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sherman Township?
38,311 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sherman Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,735 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sherman Township have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Sherman 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 →