Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
35 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Skidway Lake
Few parks or trails are on the map in Skidway Lake
13% of Skidway Lake’s land is conserved, about 906 acres. 921 acres are parks and preserves, 306 per 1,000 residents. 5.6 miles of mapped trail cross Skidway Lake, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
13%
906 acres · of 11.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.6 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
921 ac
306 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
10
2 beaches · 2 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elbow Lake Township Park
Managed by Mills Township
31 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Newman Park
Managed by Mills Township
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Skidway Lake Township Park
Managed by Mills Township
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
906 conserved acres
13% of Skidway Lake’s land. Who manages Skidway Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners848 ac
Town or city58 ac
Private Park · 553 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 295 acLocal Park · 58 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield Club Private Park | Private owners | 553 | Open |
| Detroit Boy Scouts of America Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 222 | Open |
| Ogemaw Pines Campground Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 73 | Open |
| Elbow Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Newman Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Pipeline Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Skidway Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Skidway Lake
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Skidway Lake
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Skidway Lake
Elbow Lake Boat LaunchIn Elbow Lake Township Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Skidway Lake
Ogemaw Pines Resort and Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Warren K. Wells Nature Trail0.4 mi
Red Oak Court0.1 mi
Red Trail0.1 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
4Baseball
4Basketball
3Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Skidway Lake: 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 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Skidway Lake →
Next door
Skidway Lake and its neighbors
Skidway Lake has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skidway Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mills Township | 16% | 1.0 | 622 | 44% | A |
| Richland 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 Skidway Lake
Where can I hike in Skidway Lake?
The longest trail networks: Elbow Lake Township Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Skidway Lake’s trails?
Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit and Elbow Lake Township Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Skidway Lake?
11,518 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Skidway Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 921 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Skidway Lake 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 →