Island Park
Managed by City of Alpena
18 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Alpena
Alpena has 141 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Island Park (1.4 mi). 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross Alpena, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #275 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
224 acres · of 8.2 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
141 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Alpena?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alpena have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alpena is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #275 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Alpena’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (141 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 61%
Water is 8% of Alpena’s area (1 of 9 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 Island Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mich-e-ke-wis Park
Managed by City of Alpena
17 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Duck Park
Managed by City of Alpena
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 16 parks & preserves
Island Park18 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · City of Alpena
DirectionsMich-e-ke-wis Park17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Alpena
DirectionsBotanical Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Amrize
DirectionsThunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary18 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
DirectionsDuck Park11 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsBay View Park11 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsStarlite Beach8 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsGreat Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail4 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsWashington Avenue Park4 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsArthur E. Sytek Park2 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsRiverside Skate Park2 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsNorth Riverfront Park2 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsRotary Island Mill Park2 acres · Rotary Club / City of Alpena
DirectionsLamare Park2 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsSouth Riverfront Park1 acres · City of Alpena
DirectionsThomson Park1 acres · City of Alpena
Who protects it
224 conserved acres
4% of Alpena’s land. Water is left out: Alpena has 8.2 square miles of land and 0.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Alpena’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city125 ac
County46 ac
Other state land38 ac
State natural resources10 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Local Park · 108 acLocal Recreation Area · 65 acConservation Easement · 38 acState Conservation Area · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpena Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 38 | Restricted |
| Athletic Fields Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Mick-E-Ke-Wis Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Mcrae Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Bay View Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Duck Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| MNRTF Parcel 57 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 10 | Restricted |
| Starlite Beach Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| County Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | County | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Alpena
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Alpena
Starlite BeachIn Starlite Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Alpena
Bay View Park PlaygroundIn Bay View Park
DirectionsLafarge Fossil Park
DirectionsStarlite Beach PlaygroundIn Starlite Beach
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Alpena
Alpena County Fairgrounds Boat Launch
DirectionsEleventh Avenue Boat Launch
DirectionsKayac/Canoe Launch
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Alpena
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Baseball
14Basketball
11Tennis
3Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
2Softball
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Alpena County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itFishing Tug Katherine VStructure · listed 2003
About itIOOF Centennial BuildingBuilding · listed 2015
About itBingham SchoolBuilding · listed 2020
About itHerman and Hattie (Ely) Besser HouseBuilding · listed 2023
About itAlpena Central Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Alpena: May, June and September
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) | 28 | 30 | 38 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 56 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.4 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Alpena →
Questions about parks and trails in Alpena
Where can I hike in Alpena?
The longest trail networks: Island Park, 1.4 miles; Mich-e-ke-wis Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alpena 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 Alpena’s trails?
Island Park and Mich-e-ke-wis Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Alpena?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Alpena?
29,894 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alpena or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 141 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Alpena have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #275 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Alpena 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 →