Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
3,896 acres21.3 mi of trail
Boardman/Ottaway River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Phoenix-Five · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Blair Township
Blair Township has 39 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
462 acres are parks and preserves, 51 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (21.3 mi), Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve (3 mi), Optimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property (1.5 mi). 5% of Blair Township’s land is conserved, about 1,137 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #211 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,137 acres · of 35.6 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
462 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,056 ft
Pierce Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Blair Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Blair Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blair Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #211 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blair Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (462 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 78%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 70%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. 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 Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, with 21.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve
Managed by Grand Traverse County
118 acres3 mi of trail
Boardman/Ottaway River TrailKeystone Rapids Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Optimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property
Managed by Traverse City Optimist Club
42 acres1.5 mi of trail
Cattail LoopCedar LoopMaple LoopOverlook Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Blair Township Recreation Area
Park
28 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit3,896 acres · 21.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGrand Traverse Natural Education Reserve118 acres · 3 mi of trail · Grand Traverse County
DirectionsOptimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property42 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Traverse City Optimist Club
Blair Township Recreation Area28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Creek Common Area65 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Silver Meadows Park10 acres
Beitner Park4 acres · Grand Traverse County Road Commission
DirectionsStafford Meadows Common Area4 acres
Shadyland Park3 acres
Paradise Park3 acres
Montague Island1 acres
Who protects it
1,137 conserved acres
5% of Blair Township’s land. Who manages Blair Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits787 ac
Town or city218 ac
County129 ac
Other state land2 ac
Unknown Easement · 787 acLocal Conservation Area · 329 acLocal Park · 17 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 790 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Reserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 205 | Open |
| Natural Education Reserve Local Conservation Area | County | 125 | Open |
| Blair Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Beitner Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
Things to do
25 places to go in Blair Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Blair Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Blair Township
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Playground
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Blair Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Blair Township
Kayak/Canoe Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Blair Township
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Blair Township
Pierce Hill1,056 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miHorses · 2.7 miUnpaved · 25.0 mi
Boardman/Ottaway River Trail1.1 mi
Cedar Loop0.4 mi
Cattail Loop0.4 mi
Keystone Rapids Trail0.4 mi
Maple Loop0.4 mi
Overlook Loop0.3 mi
Snowshoe Spur0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
9Baseball
5Basketball
4Equestrian
3Beach volleyball
2Soccer
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Blair 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Blair Township →
Next door
Blair Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
East Bay Township143 miParadise Township69 miGarfield Township63 miGreen Lake Township43 miBlair Township39 miMayfield Township12 miChums Corner1.6 miGrawn0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blair Township | 5% | 1.1 | 51 | 59% | A− |
| Paradise Township | 4% | 1.3 | 35 | 40% | B+ |
| Garfield Township | 5% | 2.4 | 50 | 83% | A |
| East Bay Township | 5% | 3.6 | 212 | 64% | A |
| Green Lake Township | 10% | 1.5 | 149 | 41% | A− |
| Chums Corner | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mayfield Township | 2% | 0.3 | under 1 | 1% | C− |
| Grawn | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Blair Township
Where can I hike in Blair Township?
The longest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 21.3 miles; Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve, 3 miles; Optimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property, 1.5 miles; Blair Township Recreation Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Blair Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Blair Township’s trails?
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit and Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Blair Township?
28,613 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blair Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 462 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Blair Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #211 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 Blair 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 →