Soil series profile
Grayling soil series
Grayling is a excessively drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 664,233 acres in 38 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.6 very strongly acidic · range 4.5–5.5
- Mapped area
- 664k acres in 38 counties, 3 states
Typical Grayling profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 in (Oe) | Moderately decomposed plant material | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 85% |
| 1–3 in (A) | Sand | 4.7 | 2% | 93% | 3.96% |
| 3–19 in (Bw) | Sand | 5.5 | 2% | 94% | 0.35% |
| 19–80 in (C) | Sand | 5.5 | 1% | 96% | 0.05% |
What this means
What Grayling soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Grayling soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.5 and 5.5). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Sandy topsoil covers 100% of mapped Grayling acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (98% of mapped Grayling acres).
100% of mapped Grayling acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
100% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Grayling soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Grayling soil is found
Mapped acres
Grayling is mapped in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, MI | 96,867 | 27.2% |
| Iosco County, MI | 78,938 | 22.7% |
| Oscoda County, MI | 77,680 | 21.5% |
| Burnett County, WI | 77,167 | 14.8% |
| Montmorency County, MI | 34,324 | 9.8% |
| Roscommon County, MI | 34,095 | 10.2% |
| Clare County, MI | 29,424 | 8.1% |
| Alcona County, MI | 27,867 | 6.5% |
| Washburn County, WI | 26,573 | 5.2% |
| Marquette County, MI | 24,302 | 1.9% |
| Douglas County, WI | 18,238 | 2.2% |
| Polk County, WI | 16,972 | 2.9% |
| Pine County, MN | 16,211 | 1.8% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 12,688 | 3.5% |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 11,817 | 3.3% |
| Baraga County, MI | 11,448 | 2.0% |
| Arenac County, MI | 9,916 | 4.2% |
| Cheboygan County, MI | 8,883 | 1.9% |
| St. Louis County, MN | 7,912 | 0.2% |
| Menominee County, WI | 6,960 | 3.0% |
| Delta County, MI | 6,432 | 0.9% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 6,267 | 1.9% |
| Otsego County, MI | 5,166 | 1.6% |
| Menominee County, MI | 4,217 | 0.6% |
| Presque Isle County, MI | 3,505 | 0.8% |
| Missaukee County, MI | 3,233 | 0.9% |
| Osceola County, MI | 2,645 | 0.7% |
| Kanabec County, MN | 1,608 | 0.5% |
| Lake County, MN | 1,078 | 0.1% |
| Alpena County, MI | 1,038 | 0.3% |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 286 | 0.1% |
| Ashland County, WI | 203 | 0.0% |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 180 | 0.0% |
| Koochiching County, MN | 41 | 0.0% |
| Cook County, MN | 39 | 0.0% |
| Ionia County, MI | 10 | 0.0% |
| Isanti County, MN | 1 | 0.0% |
| Midland County, MI | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Grayling acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Grayling acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.9 feet (71 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–14% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 100.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 100.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Grayling (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 664,233 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Grayling components. The profile comes from the single largest Grayling component. Full methodology.