Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
10,668 acres57.4 mi of trail
Tomahawk Motorcycle Trail B LoopSeasonalNorth Country TrailSMT LP761+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Michael Boyd · CC BY 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Springvale Township
Springvale Township has 84 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
171 acres are parks and preserves, 65 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (57.4 mi), Tanton Family Working Forest Reserve (8.1 mi), Allan and Virginia McCune Nature Preserve (3.9 mi). 17% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
622 acres · of 44.7 sq mi of land
Trails
84 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
171 ac
65 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,102 ft
Gray Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Springvale Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Springvale Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Springvale Township is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Springvale Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (84 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land65 acres of park per 1,000 residents (171 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home17% 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 64%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, with 57.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tanton Family Working Forest Reserve
Nature preserve
236 acres8.1 mi of trail
Beginner TrailIntermediate TrailExpert TrailBeginner North Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Tanton Family Reserve MTB Trailhead
Allan and Virginia McCune Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
172 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ray Johnston Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
46 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit10,668 acres · 57.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Tanton Family Working Forest Reserve236 acres · 8.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAllan and Virginia McCune Nature Preserve172 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRay Johnston Nature Preserve46 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsGow Litzenburger East Nature Preserve78 acres
Rocky Point Nature Preserve24 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
Laughbaum Nature Preserve2 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
Township Park Road Park2 acres
DirectionsCrooked Lake Boating Access Site1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsChannel Road Park1 acres · Springvale Township
DirectionsWho protects it
622 conserved acres
2% of Springvale Township’s land. Who manages Springvale Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits574 ac
County46 ac
Town or city2 ac
Other state land1 ac
Private Conservation · 336 acPrivate Forest Stewardship · 237 acLocal Park · 48 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanton Family Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 237 | Open |
| McCune Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 172 | Unknown |
| Litzenburger Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 79 | Open |
| Johnston, Ray Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Unknown |
| Camp Pet-o-se-ga Local Park | County | 46 | Open |
| Rocky Point Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Open |
| Armistead Family Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 16 | Open |
| Springvale Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Laughbaum Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Unknown |
Things to do
13 places to go in Springvale Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Springvale Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Springvale Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Springvale Township
Botsford Road Lake Access
DirectionsCanoe & Kayak
DirectionsCrooked Lake Public Boat AccessFee
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Springvale Township
Gray Hill1,102 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Springvale Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Springvale Township
Camp Petosega
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.9 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 40.0 mi
Tomahawk Motorcycle Trail B Loop19.9 mi
Beginner Trail2.3 mi
Intermediate Trail2.2 mi
Seasonal2.2 mi
North Country Trail2.0 mi
Expert Trail1.8 mi
SMT LP7611.7 mi
Beginner North Loop1.5 mi
North Country National Scenic Trail1.3 mi
Wildwood Hills Pathway0.5 mi
1 more trails
North Cedar Creek Trail
0.3 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
1Basketball
1Tennis
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Springvale 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 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 29 | 39 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Springvale Township →
Next door
Springvale Township and its neighbors
Springvale Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chandler Township87 miSpringvale Township84 miMentor Township64 miBear Creek Township39 miLittlefield Township16 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springvale Township | 2% | 1.9 | 65 | 17% | B |
| Littlefield Township | 8% | 0.7 | 100 | 48% | A− |
| Bear Creek Township | 3% | 1.0 | 88 | 30% | B+ |
| Chandler Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mentor 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 Springvale Township
Where can I hike in Springvale Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 57.4 miles; Tanton Family Working Forest Reserve, 8.1 miles; Allan and Virginia McCune Nature Preserve, 3.9 miles; Ray Johnston Nature Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Springvale Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Springvale Township’s trails?
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit and Tanton Family Working Forest Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Springvale Township?
8,054 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Springvale Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 171 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Springvale Township have?
Ahead of 64% 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 Springvale 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 →