Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area
Park
203 acres9.6 mi of trail
Walking TrailSidewinderPine LakeBo-Ridginal+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Wilson Township
Wilson Township has 609 acres of parks, 324 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area (9.6 mi), Raven Ridge Nature Preserve (1.7 mi), Porter Creek Natural Area (1.5 mi). 24 miles of mapped trail cross Wilson Township, 0.7 per square mile of land. 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
825 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
609 ac
324 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,086 ft
Richardson Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Wilson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilson Township is ahead of 64% 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 Wilson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land324 acres of park per 1,000 residents (609 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home14% 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 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 Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area, with 9.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Raven Ridge Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
144 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Porter Creek Natural Area
Managed by County of Charlevoix
99 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Darnton Family Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
279 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area203 acres · 9.6 mi of trail
Raven Ridge Nature Preserve144 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPorter Creek Natural Area99 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · County of Charlevoix
Darnton Family Nature Preserve279 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMarvin Memorial Nature Preserve123 acres
Charlevoix 2 Working Forest Reserve85 acres · http://rapidrivercampground.us/
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit40 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Fall Park6 acres
Who protects it
825 conserved acres
4% of Wilson Township’s land. Who manages Wilson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits625 ac
Town or city197 ac
Other state land2 ac
Private Conservation · 270 acState Conservation Area · 266 acLocal Conservation Area · 197 acPrivate Forest Stewardship · 88 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darnton Family State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 266 | Open |
| Avalanche Mountain Restriction Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 197 | Closed |
| Raven Ridge Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 139 | Closed |
| Marvin Memorial Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 131 | Open |
| Charlevoix 2 Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 88 | Closed |
Things to do
1 places to go in Wilson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Wilson Township
Richardson Hill1,086 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.2 miUnpaved · 15.5 mi
Walking Trail2.5 mi
Sidewinder1.7 mi
Pine Lake1.7 mi
Bo-Ridginal1.3 mi
Morel Dilemma0.7 mi
Stroll the Steeps0.6 mi
Rambler Ridge0.5 mi
Roundhouse0.4 mi
Rainey Hill0.3 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.
Avalanche Multi-Use Trail SystemBike route
7.1 miCourts & fields
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wilson 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) | 27 | 29 | 40 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wilson Township →
Next door
Wilson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Boyne Valley Township33 miJordan Township26 miWilson Township24 miEveline Township12 miSouth Arm Township7.3 miBoyne City7.2 miAdvance1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Township | 4% | 0.7 | 324 | 14% | B |
| South Arm Township | 3% | 0.2 | 101 | 23% | B− |
| Boyne City | 8% | 1.8 | 54 | 96% | A |
| Boyne Valley Township | 4% | 1.0 | 192 | 43% | B+ |
| Jordan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Advance | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Eveline Township | 2% | 0.4 | 185 | 23% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wilson Township
Where can I hike in Wilson Township?
The longest trail networks: Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area, 9.6 miles; Raven Ridge Nature Preserve, 1.7 miles; Porter Creek Natural Area, 1.5 miles; Darnton Family Nature Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilson Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Wilson Township’s trails?
Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area and Raven Ridge Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wilson Township?
6,848 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 609 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wilson 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 Wilson 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 →