Huron National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
30,524 acres111.6 mi of trail
Midland to Mackinaw TrailShore to Shore TrailMeadows West TrailTee Pee Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in South Branch Township
More than half of South Branch Township’s land is conserved: 51%
51% of South Branch Township’s land is conserved, about 34,165 acres. 3,220 acres are parks and preserves, 1,751 per 1,000 residents. 209 miles of mapped trail cross South Branch Township, 2.0 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
51%
34,165 acres · of 104.8 sq mi of land
Trails
209 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,220 ac
1,751 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
28%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
5
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is South Branch Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Branch Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Branch Township is ahead of 92% 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 South Branch Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land51% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (209 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land1,751 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,220 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home28% 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 92%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Huron National Forest, with 111.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
15,545 acres68.8 mi of trail
Mason Tract PathwayMason Tract TrailShore to Shore TrailMidland to Mackinaw Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Meads Landing
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
34,165 conserved acres
51% of South Branch Township’s land. Who manages South Branch Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service30,523 ac
State natural resources2,926 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits299 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service295 ac
State fish & wildlife269 ac
National Forest · 30,523 acState Conservation Area · 3,195 acConservation Easement · 299 acConservation Area · 295 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 299 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 30,523 | Open |
| Natural Area South Branch AuSable River State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2,632 | Open |
| Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area Conservation Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 295 | Restricted |
| Natural Area South Branch AuSable River Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 294 | Open |
| Conners Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 269 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in South Branch Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in South Branch Township
Chase Bridge Canoe Launch
DirectionsConnors FlatsFee
DirectionsSmith Bridge Boat LaunchIn Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit
DirectionsSteckert Bridge Canoe LandingIn Steckert Bridge River Access
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in South Branch Township
Canoe Harbor State Forest CampgroundIn Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsLower Rainbow Bend CampgroundFee · In Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWhite Pine Canoe CampgroundFee · In Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 8.3 miUnpaved · 5.1 mi
Midland to Mackinaw Trail9.3 mi
Mason Tract Pathway8.7 mi
Shore to Shore Trail8.3 mi
Mason Tract Trail3.5 mi
Meadows West Trail2.6 mi
Claudia Trail2.2 mi
Tee Pee Trail2.1 mi
Polly Trail1.9 mi
McOmber Trail1.8 mi
Hay Marsh Creek Trail1.7 mi
15 more trails
Chimarra Trail
1.7 miMeadows - M72-Parmalee Trail
1.6 miThomas Trail
1.2 miSylvester Trail
1.2 miManning Trail
1.1 miGables End Trail
1.1 miBrave Trail
1.1 miGammey Creek Trail
1.1 miDrinkaus Trail
1.0 miIndian Bend Trail
0.9 miBeaver Creek MCCCT
0.9 miMcMasters Bridge Cutoff
0.8 miMcDowell Trail
0.7 miStarrs Trail
0.7 miBlack Antler Court
0.6 miLakes & 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
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in South Branch Township: May 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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in South Branch Township →
Next door
South Branch Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Grayling Township503 miBig Creek Township281 miLovells Township220 miSouth Branch Township209 miBeaver Creek Township198 miHiggins Township130 miAu Sable Township75 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Branch Township | 51% | 2.0 | 1,751 | 28% | A |
| Grayling Township | 21% | 2.9 | 2,255 | 25% | A |
| Au Sable Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Big Creek Township | 69% | 2.0 | 48 | 40% | A |
| Beaver Creek Township | 3% | 2.8 | 330 | 10% | B+ |
| Lovells Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Higgins Township | 15% | 1.8 | 3,731 | 75% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Branch Township
Where can I hike in South Branch Township?
The longest trail networks: Huron National Forest, 111.6 miles; Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, 68.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Branch Township is conserved land?
51% 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 Branch Township’s trails?
Huron National Forest and Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near South Branch Township?
126,735 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Branch Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 33,975 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Branch Township have?
Ahead of 92% 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 Branch 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 →