Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
139 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John J. and Eva Reynier Porter Estate · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in South Arm Township
South Arm Township has 193 acres of parks, 101 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve (1.1 mi), Charles M Taylor III Nature Preserve (0.7 mi), Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (0.5 mi). 23% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7.3 miles of mapped trail cross South Arm Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
598 acres · of 30.7 sq mi of land
Trails
7.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
193 ac
101 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
23%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is South Arm Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Arm Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Arm Township is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns. 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 South Arm Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land101 acres of park per 1,000 residents (193 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home23% 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 51%
LessMore
Water is 6% of South Arm Township’s area (2 of 33 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Charles M Taylor III Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
35 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
261 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
St. Clair - Six Mile Lake Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
271 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve139 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCharles M Taylor III Nature Preserve35 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit261 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSt. Clair - Six Mile Lake Nature Preserve271 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNathan Beem Memorial Nature Preserve105 acres
Joseph & Ingeborg Marchio Nature Preserve34 acres
Community Park25 acres
Bill and Mary Glenna Malpass Nature Preserve9 acres
Slough Family Nature Preserve8 acres
Elm Pointe Park8 acres
Who protects it
598 conserved acres
3% of South Arm Township’s land. Water is left out: South Arm Township has 30.7 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages South Arm Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits594 ac
Private owners4 ac
Private Conservation · 594 acPrivate Park · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Clair Lake-Six Mile Lake Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 268 | Closed |
| Nathan Beem Memorial Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 105 | Open |
| Rogers Family Homestead Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 90 | Unknown |
| Jordan River Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 42 | Unknown |
| Joseph & Ingeborg Marchio Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Open |
| Charles M Taylor III Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Unknown |
| Slough Family Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Open |
| Bill and Mary Glenna Malpass Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Open |
| Mallard Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 4 | Restricted |
| Olstrom Family Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
4 places to go in South Arm Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in South Arm Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in South Arm Township
Alba Rd AccessIn Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
DirectionsRoger's Bridge Access
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.3 mi
First Loop0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
John J. and Eva Reynier Porter EstateDistrict · listed 1998
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in South Arm Township: May to August
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 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 30 | 40 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in South Arm Township →
Next door
South Arm Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wilson Township24 miEveline Township12 miEcho Township10 miSouth Arm Township7.3 miBanks Township4.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Arm Township | 3% | 0.2 | 101 | 23% | B− |
| Wilson Township | 4% | 0.7 | 324 | 14% | B |
| Eveline Township | 2% | 0.4 | 185 | 23% | B− |
| Banks Township | 2% | 0.1 | 45 | 29% | C+ |
| Echo Township | 7% | 0.3 | 598 | 23% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Arm Township
Where can I hike in South Arm Township?
The longest trail networks: Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve, 1.1 miles; Charles M Taylor III Nature Preserve, 0.7 miles; Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 0.5 miles; St. Clair - Six Mile Lake Nature Preserve, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Arm 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 South Arm Township’s trails?
Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve and Charles M Taylor III Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near South Arm Township?
10,984 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Arm Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 193 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Arm Township have?
Ahead of 51% 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 South Arm 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 →