Dunbar Forest Experiment Station Michigan State University
Managed by Michigan State University
3,129 acres7.2 mi of trail
Power Line Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Soo Township
Soo Township has 500 acres of parks, 167 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Dunbar Forest Experiment Station Michigan State University (7.2 mi), Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit (7 mi). 8% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 21 miles of mapped trail cross Soo Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #424 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
931 acres · of 50.1 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
500 ac
167 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.2 mi
4.2 mi paths
Highest peak
676 ft
Oneway Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Soo Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Soo Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Soo Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #424 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Soo Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land167 acres of park per 1,000 residents (500 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home8% 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 53%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 40%
Water is 26% of Soo Township’s area (18 of 68 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Dunbar Forest Experiment Station Michigan State University, with 7.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,304 acres7 mi of trail
Algonquin Cross Country Ski Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Round Island Point Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
365 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Soo Muskeg Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Nature Association
80 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Dunbar Forest Experiment Station Michigan State University3,129 acres · 7.2 mi of trail · Michigan State University
Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit1,304 acres · 7 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRound Island Point Nature Preserve365 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
Soo Muskeg Nature Sanctuary80 acres · Michigan Nature Association
Munuscong Wildlife Management Area67 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Soo Strong Trail Linear Park32 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Hobbins-Meyer Nature Preserve7 acres
Who protects it
931 conserved acres
3% of Soo Township’s land. Water is left out: Soo Township has 50.1 square miles of land and 17.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Soo Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits427 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)404 ac
State fish & wildlife84 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service13 ac
Other state land4 ac
State Conservation Area · 511 acConservation Easement · 421 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 421 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round Island Point State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 350 | Open |
| Munuscong State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 84 | Open |
| Soo Muskeg State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 78 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Soo Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Soo Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Soo Township
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.5 mi
Power Line Trail1.7 mi
Algonquin Cross Country Ski Trail0.9 mi
East Range Light Row0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in Soo Township: May to July
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 | 26 | 35 | 47 | 62 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 67 | 54 | 41 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Soo Township →
Next door
Soo Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bay Mills Township94 miRaber Township59 miPickford Township33 miSoo Township21 miSugar Island Township17 miSault Ste. Marie11 miBruce Township8.8 miDafter Township6.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soo Township | 3% | 0.4 | 167 | 8% | B− |
| Raber Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bruce Township | 10% | 0.1 | 2,190 | 6% | B |
| Sugar Island Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie | 10% | 0.8 | 61 | 97% | A |
| Bay Mills Township | 74% | 1.4 | 361 | 35% | A |
| Pickford Township | 17% | 0.3 | 5,413 | 18% | B+ |
| Dafter Township | 1% | 0.1 | 21 | 5% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Soo Township
Where can I hike in Soo Township?
The longest trail networks: Dunbar Forest Experiment Station Michigan State University, 7.2 miles; Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit, 7 miles; Round Island Point Nature Preserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Soo Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Soo Township’s trails?
Dunbar Forest Experiment Station Michigan State University and Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Soo Township?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Soo Township?
33,254 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Soo Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 500 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Soo Township have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #424 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 Soo 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 →