Moran Township is located in Mackinac County and features the Lake Michigan shoreline as its southern border. Seven years after Michigan achieved statehood, Moran Township received its charter. That was in 1844 – a time when the Township economy was evolving from fur trapping and hunting into one dependent upon lumber and commercial fishing. Today, tourism is the most significant industry impacting the local economy. Moran Township mostly consists of forests and marshlands. The Lake Michigan coastline has extensive sand dunes easily viewed from US-2. The Township covers 134.4 square miles, of which 6.9 square miles are water. Hay Lake and Round Lake are two of the notable water features that promise largemouth bass, bluegill and perch. Approximately 80 percent of Moran Township is publicly owned and lies within Hiawatha National Forest or Lake Superior State Forest.