BirdTrout
Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit, Michigan
265,737 acres of public ground in Crawford, Oscoda, Iosco, Alcona counties, managed by Michigan DNR. 37 named streams run through it, of which 35 are designated trout water — 717.7 miles of it. It is in the state's huntable-land layer.
Open in BirdTrout50°F and colder is cold, through cold-transitional and cool, to warm above 70°F — the same four bands the app paints. The colour is MDNR's classification of the valley segment, not a measurement, except at the gauge dots, which read live. Grey is water MDNR has not typed.
The unit in numbers
Assembled from MDNR and OSM and PADUS ownership records, dissolved into one block: the section lines a state forest is surveyed in are not a fact about access, so they are not drawn and not counted twice.
Getting on it
Open to the public on foot without a permit, as the ownership file records it.
This unit is 260 separate blocks of ground rather than one, which is normal for public land held in surveyed sections: the blocks are not contiguous. The map above draws every one of them, and the ground between two of them belongs to somebody else. Boundaries, closures and anything posted on the ground are Michigan Department of Natural Resources's to say, and 517-284-6057 is where to ask.
Trout streams on this ground
Every named stream whose reaches touch this unit, longest first. 36 of them have a page of their own and are linked; the rest are in the app. Thermal class is MDNR's classification of the valley segment, over the reaches it has typed. "Now" is the live USGS reading where a gauge stands in that stream.
| Stream | Miles | Class | Now | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee River Blue Ribbon | 190.1 | Cold-transitional | 54.9°F | Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 4 |
| Au Sable River | 137.7 | Cold-transitional | 54.7°F | Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 4 |
| South Branch Au Sable River | 51.5 | Cool | 56.7°F | Type 2, Type 3 |
| North Branch Au Sable River | 37.0 | Cold-transitional | 56.1°F | Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 |
| West Branch Big Creek | 33.8 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| East Branch Big Creek | 25.6 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Van Etten Creek | 20.8 | Warm | — | Type 1, Type 2 |
| Beaver Creek | 20.3 | Cool | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| East Branch Au Sable River | 17.7 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Gilchrist Creek Blue Ribbon | 14.4 | untyped | — | Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 |
| Middle Branch Big Creek | 12.5 | Cool | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Pine River Blue Ribbon | 11.8 | Cool | — | Type 1, Type 2, Type 4 |
| Hunt Creek Blue Ribbon | 11.6 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Roy Creek | 11.1 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Kolke Creek | 10.7 | Cold | — | Type 2 |
| Lost Creek | 9.7 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Duval Creek | 8.3 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Goose Creek | 8.1 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Crapo Creek | 8.0 | Warm | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Wright Creek | 7.3 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Portage Creek | 7.1 | Cold-transitional | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Bradford Creek | 6.6 | untyped | — | Type 2 |
| Vandercook Creek | 6.3 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Big Creek | 5.9 | Cold-transitional | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Thayer Creek | 5.9 | Cold-transitional | — | — |
| Sohn Creek | 5.8 | Cold-transitional | — | Type 2, Type 3, Type 4 |
| Chub Creek | 5.0 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Coppler Creek | 4.9 | untyped | — | Type 2 |
| Hickey Creek | 4.8 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Barker Creek | 4.7 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Phelan Creek | 4.6 | untyped | — | Type 2 |
| Douglas Creek | 3.8 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Grey Creek | 3.8 | Cool | — | Type 2 |
| Sauger Creek | 2.7 | Cool | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Simpson Creek | 2.1 | Cold | — | Type 2, Type 3 |
| Dry Creek | 1.6 | Cool | — | Type 1, Type 2 |
| Carter Creek | 1.3 | Cool | — | — |
The miles are the whole stream's, not the miles inside this boundary: a river does not stop at a property line and neither does its page.
Hunting
9% of this unit falls inside Michigan's huntable public-land layer, as Kirtland Warbler Unit Lovells, Kirtland Warbler Unit Manistee, Kirtland Warbler Unit Clear Lake, Natural Area South Branch AuSable River. The rest of it is public ground the layer does not carry, which is a gap in that file rather than a closure on the ground — the managing agency is the one to ask about the parts outside it. The seasons below are the 2025–2026 small-game seasons as the state's own digest publishes them; they are statewide except where a species is zoned, and the bars run 1 September to 31 August.
Daily bag 3, possession 9. Federally set — woodcock is a migratory bird, so the season is a US Fish and Wildlife framework Michigan selects within, not a state season. The stamp is free but it is not optional, and it registers you with HIP.
Daily bag 5, possession 10. Split season — it closes for the two weeks of firearm deer and opens again December 1.
Daily bag 5, possession 10. The Department of Natural Resources opens quail in 27 counties — Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Saginaw, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Washtenaw and Wayne — and states that quail may be taken in those counties only. Wildlife Conservation Order 3.504(2), read August 2026. Section 3.504(3) lets the Department's director close any or all of those counties by interim order on the June breeding quail survey. An interim order is not carried in this app — check the digest for the county you are hunting. Effectively gone from Michigan outside a few southern counties — 1,769 recorded observations statewide against the grouse's 36,948.
Daily bag 2, possession 4. Zoned — this ground is in Zone 2 — northern Lower Peninsula. Male (rooster) only.
Daily bag 2, possession 4. The Department of Natural Resources opens sharp-tailed grouse only inside the zone 1 sharp-tailed grouse management unit, in the eastern Upper Peninsula, and states that the remaining portion of the state is closed. Wildlife Conservation Order 3.503(1) with the unit of 12.751, read August 2026. The unit lies within Chippewa and Mackinac counties but is not the whole of either. Its boundary is described as a chain of roads, rivers and section corners and is not drawn in this app — being in one of those two counties is not the same as being in the unit. Read 12.751 or the digest's map before you hunt. Beyond the daily and possession limits there is a season limit of 6 sharp-tailed grouse — Wildlife Conservation Order 3.503(2). It is the only season limit in this app. The free sharp-tailed grouse stamp is issued on request and becomes part of the licence. It is free and it is not optional. Do not confuse it with the spruce grouse, which shares the same Upper Peninsula country, is protected in Michigan and has no season at all.
The Department of Natural Resources opens the fall season in its fall turkey management units, not statewide: unit M is the Upper Peninsula and unit I is the Lower Peninsula except Monroe county. Wildlife Conservation Order 3.303 with 12.654 and 12.675, read August 2026. Fall turkey is also quota-limited and licensed by unit. Being inside a unit is not the same as holding a tag for it — this app draws where the season is, not what you are licensed for. Exempt from the hunter-orange requirement.
Hunter orange: Small game hunters must wear a hunter-orange cap, hat, vest, jacket or rain gear as the outermost garment, visible from all sides. Camouflage counts if it is at least 50% orange. It applies August 15 – April 30, except when hunting waterfowl, crow, wild turkey and falconry.
No statewide Sunday closure for small game. A few counties restrict firearm hunting on private land under PA 319 of 1994 — not mapped here.
Access sites and amenities
| Site | Kind | Water | On it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground camping | Boat launch | Lake Margrethe | parking (54 spaces), restroom, 2 trailer ramps, accessible features · fee |
| Parmalee Bridge State Forest Campground camping | Boat launch | Au Sable River | parking (6 spaces), restroom, 1 trailer ramp · fee |
| Burtons Landing State Forest Campground camping | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River | parking (30 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch, accessible features · fee |
| Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground camping | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River - South Branch | parking (6 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch · fee |
| Keystone Landing State Forest Campground camping | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River | parking (3 spaces), carry-down launch · fee |
| Au Sable River At White Pine Campground camping | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Smith Bridge | Boat launch | Au Sable River - South Branch | parking (12 spaces), restroom, 1 trailer ramp · fee |
| Steckert Bridge | Boat launch | Au Sable River - South Branch | parking (6 spaces), restroom, 1 trailer ramp · fee |
| Au Sable River SFCG | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River | parking (5 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch, accessible features · fee |
| Chase Bridge | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River - South Branch | parking (10 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch · fee |
| Connors Flats | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River | parking (12 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch, accessible features · fee |
| M-72 | Canoe and kayak launch | Manistee River | parking (12 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch · fee |
| Stephans Bridge | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River | parking (14 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch, accessible features · fee |
| Whirlpool | Canoe and kayak launch | Au Sable River | parking (16 spaces), restroom, carry-down launch · fee |
| Au Sable River At Keystone Landing | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Lower Trout Unlimited Research Station | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Pollack Bridge | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Rainbow Bend | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Rayburn's North | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Rayburn's South | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Townline Road | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Wakeley Bridge | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Whirlpool | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
| Au Sable River At Williams Tract | Walk-in access | — | — · free |
14 more access sites stand on this unit. All of them are on the map in the app.
When to come
The hatch calendar for northern lower Michigan, which is the region this unit's centre falls in — the same regions the app's hatch panel uses. It is a regional record, not a survey of this ground: nobody has counted insects unit by unit. Year-round records (midges, scuds, sculpins) are left out. The seasons above are the other half of this calendar: the water is best before the ground is.
January
April
May
- Blue-Winged Olive
- Blackfly
- Blue Quill
- Cranefly
- +15 more
June
July
- Caterpillar
- Crayfish
- Green Sedge
- Light Cahill
- +20 more
August
September
October
November
December
What makes this unit distinctive
The Grayling Unit of the Au Sable State Forest is 265,737 acres in Crawford, Oscoda, Iosco and Alcona counties, in 260 separate blocks. Its stream list is short for its size — thirty-seven named streams — and thirty-five of those are designated trout water, 717.7 miles between them, which is the highest ratio in the index. The Manistee and the Au Sable both cross it, 190.1 and 137.7 miles long respectively, and MDNR types both as cold-transitional over the reaches it has classified. The South and North Branches of the Au Sable are here, and four Blue Ribbon streams: Gilchrist Creek, Hunt Creek, the Manistee and the Pine. Three gauges stand on it and thirty-eight public access sites, twenty-five of them walk-in. Only nine per cent of the unit falls inside the huntable-land layer, which is a gap in that file rather than a statement about the ground.
Regulations
Nothing on this page is a regulation. The fishing rules that apply to the water on this ground — the types, the seasons, the size limits and the gear restrictions — are on the Michigan fishing regulations page, built from the agency's own columns. The hunting seasons above come from the state's hunting digest, read against the 2025 licence year.
Watersheds it lies in
The subbasins this ground drains into. Each one has the whole basin's water on it.
Public land nearby
The nearest other blocks of public ground, centre to centre. Public land does not tile a state the way watersheds do, so this is nearness rather than adjacency.
- Conners Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area 1.4 mi
- Kirtland Warbler Unit N Branch 3.1 mi
- Natural Area South Branch AuSable River Area 6.9 mi
- Kirtland Warbler Unit Lovells 8.0 mi
- Natural Area South Branch AuSable River 9.2 mi
Plan a weekend around it
The trip pages whose range reaches this ground — the water in the same drive, what is hatching, and a three-day plan built from it.