Pioneer Trail Park
Park
85 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wells Township
Wells Township has 1,098 acres of parks, 227 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Pioneer Trail Park (0.6 mi). 21 miles of mapped trail cross Wells Township, 0.5 per square mile of land. 5% of Wells Township’s land is conserved, about 1,214 acres.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #264 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,214 acres · of 39.7 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,098 ac
227 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.6 mi
3.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wells Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wells Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wells Township is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #264 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 Wells Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land227 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,098 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home48% 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 72%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 62%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Pioneer Trail Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bay de Noc Beagle Club
Nature preserve
182 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
City Park
Park
30 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,214 conserved acres
5% of Wells Township’s land. Who manages Wells Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land990 ac
Private owners106 ac
County81 ac
Town or city36 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 851 acConservation Easement · 140 acPrivate Park · 106 acLocal Park · 97 acLocal Recreation Area · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 140 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University Board of Trustees Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 447 | Open |
| Michigan State University Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 404 | Open |
| Bay De Noc Beagle Club Private Park | Private owners | 106 | Open |
| Pioneer Trail Park Local Park | County | 81 | Open |
| Wells Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Township Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Wells Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wells Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Wells Township
North Shore Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Wells Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Wells Township
Pioneer Trail Park CampgroundFee · In Pioneer Trail Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Wells Township
Pioneer Trail ParkIn Pioneer Trail Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.5 mi
Felch Grade ORV Route0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wells Township: May and 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 39 | 51 | 65 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 56 | 42 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 3.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wells Township →
Next door
Wells Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Ford River Township91 miEscanaba Township52 miBark River Township36 miWells Township21 miEscanaba10 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Township | 5% | 0.5 | 227 | 48% | B+ |
| Escanaba | 6% | 0.8 | 18 | 84% | A− |
| Escanaba Township | under 1% | 0.9 | under 1 | 1% | C− |
| Ford River Township | 1% | 1.4 | 54 | 21% | B |
| Bark River Township | under 1% | 0.8 | 84 | 22% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wells Township
Where can I hike in Wells Township?
The longest trail networks: Pioneer Trail Park, 0.6 miles; Bay de Noc Beagle Club, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wells Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Wells Township’s trails?
Pioneer Trail Park and Bay de Noc Beagle Club don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wells Township?
3.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wells Township?
26,046 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wells Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,098 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wells Township have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #264 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 Wells 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 →