Veronica Valley Park
Managed by Leelanau County
84 acres3.2 mi of trail
Red TrailOrange TrailGreen TrailYellow Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto County Road 641 Parking LotWebsite ↗
Photo: Rochelle Briggeman · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bingham Township
Bingham Township has 246 acres of parks, 94 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Veronica Valley Park (3.2 mi). 26% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.3 miles of mapped trail cross Bingham Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #443 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
533 acres · of 23.6 sq mi of land
Trails
4.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
246 ac
94 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.8 mi
6.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
8 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bingham Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bingham Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bingham Township is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #443 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bingham Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land94 acres of park per 1,000 residents (246 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home26% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 50%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 37%
Water is 40% of Bingham Township’s area (16 of 39 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C 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 Veronica Valley Park, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
8,529 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mebert Creek & Greeno Preserve
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
193 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto County Road 641 Parking LotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Veronica Valley Park84 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · Leelanau County
DirectionsGrand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve8,529 acres
DirectionsMebert Creek & Greeno Preserve193 acres · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsGroesser Park6 acres · Bingham Township
DirectionsBoughey Park3 acres · Bingham Township
DirectionsBingham Road Public Access3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsValley Hills Park2 acres
Bingham Township Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
533 conserved acres
3% of Bingham Township’s land. Water is left out: Bingham Township has 23.6 square miles of land and 15.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Bingham Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)173 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government139 ac
Other state land92 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits78 ac
State Department of Land70 ac
Private owners65 ac
Town or city3 ac
Agricultural Easement · 208 acLocal Conservation Area · 139 acPrivate Conservation · 78 acUnknown · 70 acPrivate Park · 65 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 178 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mebert Creek Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 139 | Unknown |
| Core Unknown | State Department of Land | 70 | Open |
| Veronica Valley Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 65 | Restricted |
| Mebert Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 42 | Restricted |
| Greeno Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Closed |
| Mebert Creek -Dreher Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 16 | Unknown |
| Hendryx Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Bingham Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Bingham Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bingham Township
8 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Bingham Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Bingham Township
Bingham Boat LaunchIn Bingham Road Public Access
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Bingham Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.7 mi
Red Trail1.4 mi
Orange Trail0.4 mi
Green Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Trail0.2 mi
Blue Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Bingham Township: May to August
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 | 40 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Bingham Township →
Next door
Bingham Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bingham Township | 3% | 0.2 | 94 | 26% | B− |
| Centerville Township | 12% | 0.1 | 329 | 9% | B |
| Suttons Bay Township | 6% | 0.6 | 130 | 44% | B+ |
| Elmwood Township | 5% | 0.3 | 39 | 53% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bingham Township
Where can I hike in Bingham Township?
The longest trail networks: Veronica Valley Park, 3.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bingham Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Bingham Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Veronica Valley Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bingham Township?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bingham Township?
8,973 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bingham Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 246 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bingham Township have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #443 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 Bingham Township 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 →