Editing Crawford County, Michigan (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|563|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|556|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|7.0|sqmi}} (1.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_26.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113024015/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_26.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 19, 2014 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}</ref> Although it is located on Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Crawford County is considered to be part of [[Northern Michigan]]. The county contains land within three of Michigan's largest [[Drainage basin|watersheds]], belonging to the [[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable]], [[Manistee River|Manistee]], and [[Muskegon River|Muskegon]] rivers.

Crawford County has relatively few lakes, mostly in the northern part of the county. [[Lake Margrethe]] is the county's largest and has a surface area of {{convert|1920|acre|km2}}. Other water bodies >100 acres include Big Bradford Lake, Big Bear Lake, KP Lake, Shellenbarger Lake, Shupac Lake and Wakeley Lake. Some of these are so-called [[Kettle (landform)|kettle lakes]],' formed by the melting of blocks of glacial ice, left as the glacier retreated, which created a depression in the soil.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Veach |first1=J.O. |title=Soil Survey of Crawford County, Michigan |date=1927 |publisher=US Department of Agriculture |edition=No. 29 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015071296084&view=1up&seq=5 |access-date=June 28, 2023}}</ref> The [[Manistee River]] flows on the western edge of the county; branches of the [[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable River]] flow throughout the remainder of the county.

The county is part of the [[Au Sable State Forest]], specifically the Grayling FMU (Alcona, Crawford, Oscoda, and northern Iosco counties). Parts of the county are also within the [[Huron National Forest]]. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the so-called Grayling outwash plain, which consists of broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/rlandscp/s7-2-2.htm |title=NPWRC :: Regional Landscape |work=usgs.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625181556/http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/rlandscp/s7-2-2.htm |archive-date=June 25, 2013 }}</ref>

===Rivers===
* [[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable River]], begins in [[Otsego County, Michigan]] and flows through Crawford, [[Oscoda County, Michigan|Oscoda]], [[Alcona County, Michigan|Alcona]], then [[Iosco County, Michigan|Iosco]] before flowing into [[Lake Huron]].
* [[Manistee River]] begins in [[Antrim County, Michigan]] and flows through [[Otsego County, Michigan|Otsego]], Crawford, [[Kalkaska County, Michigan|Kalkaska]], [[Wexford County, Michigan|Wexford]], then [[Manistee County, Michigan|Manistee]] before flowing into [[Lake Michigan]].

[[File:CrawfordCountyneighbors.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Neighboring counties]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Otsego County, Michigan|Otsego County]] - north
* [[Montmorency County, Michigan|Montmorency County]] - northeast
* [[Oscoda County, Michigan|Oscoda County]] - east
* [[Ogemaw County, Michigan|Ogemaw County]] - southeast
* [[Roscommon County, Michigan|Roscommon County]] - south
* [[Missaukee County, Michigan|Missaukee County]] - southwest
* [[Kalkaska County, Michigan|Kalkaska County]] - west
* [[Antrim County, Michigan|Antrim County]] - northwest

===[[Protected area]]s===
* [[Huron National Forest]] (part)
* [[Au Sable State Forest]]
* [[Huron–Manistee National Forests]]
* [[Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area]]

===State Parks===
* [[Hartwick Pines State Park]]
* [[North Higgins Lake State Park]]