Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area
Park
101 acres3.2 mi of trail
Walking TrailRoundhouseSidewinderMorel Dilemma+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Boyne City Central Historic District · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Boyne City
Boyne City has 7.2 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 207 acres are parks and preserves, 54 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area (3.2 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #32 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
217 acres · of 4.0 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
207 ac
54 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
961 ft
Avalanche Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Boyne City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Boyne City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Boyne City is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #32 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Boyne City’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land54 acres of park per 1,000 residents (207 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% 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 94%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 96%
Water is 25% of Boyne City’s area (1 of 5 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 13 parks & preserves
Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area101 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOld City Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHill Nature Preserve18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Open Space3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPeninsula Beach7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Park35 acres
DirectionsGabos Family Nature Preserve16 acres
Riverside Park7 acres
DirectionsSephar Nature Preserve3 acres
Sunset Park1 acres
DirectionsTannery Park1 acres
Moll Park1 acres
Who protects it
217 conserved acres
8% of Boyne City’s land. Water is left out: Boyne City has 4.0 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Boyne City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city174 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits22 ac
Private owners19 ac
Other state land1 ac
Local Conservation Area · 121 acLocal Park · 71 acPrivate Conservation · 22 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche Mountain Restriction Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 102 | Closed |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| The Hill Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Private owners | 19 | Open |
| Gabos Family Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Closed |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Peninsula Beach Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Spehar Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Unknown |
| Scollin-Lee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Closed |
| Ridge Run Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Boyne City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Boyne City
Peninsula BeachIn Peninsula Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Boyne City
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Boyne City
Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Boyne City
Avalanche OverlookIn Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area
DirectionsAvalanche OverlookIn Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area
DirectionsAvalanche OverlookIn Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area
DirectionsPeaks in Boyne City
Avalanche Mountain961 ft elevation · In Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.0 miUnpaved · 4.1 mi
Walking Trail0.7 mi
Roundhouse0.6 mi
Sidewinder0.6 mi
Boyne River Nature Trail0.6 mi
Morel Dilemma0.2 mi
Avalanche Trail Connector0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Avalanche Multi-Use Trail SystemBike route
1.6 miCourts & fields
9Baseball
7Tennis
2Soccer
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Boyne City: 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 | 9.4 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 40 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Boyne City →
Next door
Boyne City and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Boyne Valley Township33 miEvangeline Township26 miWilson Township24 miEveline Township12 miBoyne City7.2 miAdvance1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyne City | 8% | 1.8 | 54 | 96% | A |
| Evangeline Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wilson Township | 4% | 0.7 | 324 | 14% | B |
| Boyne Valley Township | 4% | 1.0 | 192 | 43% | B+ |
| Eveline Township | 2% | 0.4 | 185 | 23% | B− |
| Advance | — 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 Boyne City
Where can I hike in Boyne City?
The longest trail networks: Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area, 3.2 miles; Veterans Memorial Park, 0.4 miles; Old City Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Boyne City is conserved land?
8% 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 Boyne City’s trails?
Avalanche Preserve Recreation Area and Veterans Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Boyne City?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths. Named routes: Avalanche Multi-Use Trail System.
Is there public land near Boyne City?
5,267 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Boyne City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 207 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Boyne City have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 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 Boyne City 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 →