Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: The ed17 · CC BY-SA 4.046% of Stambaugh Township’s land is conserved, about 53,074 acres. 183 miles of mapped trail cross Stambaugh Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District (96.6 mi), Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit (5.4 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Stambaugh 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.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District, with 96.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
46% of Stambaugh Township’s land. Who manages Stambaugh Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 49,342 | Open |
| Crystal Falls State Forest Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,939 | Open |
| Local Forest Local Resource Management Area | County | 738 | Open |
| George Young Recreation Private Park | Private owners | 429 | Restricted |
| County of Iron Park Local Park | County | 192 | Open |
| Ski Brule Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 129 | Restricted |
| Nicolet National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 119 | Open |
| Cent Conf Convenant Church Private Conservation | Private owners | 75 | Open |
| Land Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| South Brule Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 54 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
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 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 26 | 38 | 50 | 65 | 74 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 37 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Stambaugh Township →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stambaugh Township | 46% | 1.0 | 1,833 | 43% | A |
| Iron River Township | 66% | 1.1 | 1,191 | 37% | A |
| Bates Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mastodon Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Watersmeet Township | 81% | 1.0 | 54 | 33% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District, 96.6 miles; Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit, 5.4 miles; Pentoga Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
46% 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.
Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District and Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of off-road paths. Named routes: State Line Trail and Iron County Recreational Trail.
447,803 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stambaugh Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 48,632 of them inside the town line.
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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Stambaugh Township neighbors.
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 →