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Charlevoix IIPhoto: User:My name · CC BY 3.0
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Charlevoix Township

Charlevoix Township has 17 miles of mapped trails, 2.8 for every square mile of land

704 acres are parks and preserves, 421 per 1,000 residents. 26% of Charlevoix Township’s land is conserved, about 988 acres. The biggest trail networks: North Point Nature Preserve (2.6 mi), Fisherman's Island State Park (2.5 mi), Mt. McSauba Recreation Area (1.6 mi).

Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Conserved land
26%
988 acres · of 5.9 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
2.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
704 ac
421 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
2.1 mi paths
Highest peak
650 ft
Mount McSauba
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches · 6 boat launches

What kind of outdoors town is Charlevoix Township?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

A trail town2.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 97% of U.S. towns.Room to roam421 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild26% of the land is conserved; a typical Michigan town, 5%.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Charlevoix Township have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Charlevoix Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.

A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Charlevoix Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land421 acres of park per 1,000 residents (704 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home68% 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 96%
LessMore

Water is more than half of Charlevoix Township’s area (6 of 12 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.

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.

1234
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 North Point Nature Preserve, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

North Point Nature Preserve

Nature preserve
52 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Fisherman's Island State Park

Nature preserve
563 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Mt. McSauba Recreation Area

Managed by City of Charlevoix
61 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Andrew and Mary Aish ke bug Nature Preserve

Nature preserve
48 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
North Point Nature Preserve52 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
Directions
Fisherman's Island State Park563 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
Directions
Mt. McSauba Recreation Area61 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · City of Charlevoix
Directions
Lake Michigan Beach Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Andrew and Mary Aish ke bug Nature Preserve48 acres
Directions
Shanahan Field18 acres · Charlevoix Township
Directions
Boulder Park Nature Preserve1 acres
Directions
Phila A. Shanahan Nature Preserve1 acres
Who protects it

988 conserved acres

26% of Charlevoix Township’s land. Water is left out: Charlevoix Township has 5.9 square miles of land and 6.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Charlevoix Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

State parks562 ac
Private owners241 ac
Town or city133 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits50 ac
State Park · 562 acPrivate Park · 241 acLocal Park · 133 acPrivate Conservation · 50 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Fisherman's Island State Park
State Park
State parks562Open
Charlevoix Country Club
Private Park
Private owners145Restricted
Mt. Mcsauba Recreational Area
Local Park
Town or city111Open
Belvedere Golf Course
Private Park
Private owners96Restricted
Andrew and Mary Aish ke bug
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits49Open
Shanahan Field
Local Park
Town or city18Open
Lake Michigan Beach Park
Local Park
Town or city4Open
Ferry Beach Park
Local Park
Town or city1Open
Charlevoix Hospital
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits1Unknown
Phila A. Shanahan
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits1Unknown
Things to do

15 places to go in Charlevoix Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Beaches in Charlevoix Township
Lake Michigan Beach
Directions

Plus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.

Trails & water

2 lakes & rivers

Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Round LakelakePine River
Biking & sports

2.1 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Tennis
2Pickleball
1Soccer
1Basketball
1Baseball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

1 place on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Charlevoiz South Pierhead LightStructure · listed 2005
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Charlevoix 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.110.311.813.414.915.615.314.112.510.89.48.7
High (°F)282938496272767669564434
Rain (in)2.21.51.92.93.03.02.83.13.74.32.92.4

February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Charlevoix Township →

Next door

Charlevoix Township and its neighbors

Charlevoix Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Hayes Township24 miCharlevoix Township17 miNorwood Township12 miEveline Township12 miMarion Township0.9 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Charlevoix Township26%2.842168%A+
Hayes Township7%0.839833%A−
Marion Township1%under 0.127%D
Norwood Township— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Eveline Township2%0.418523%B−

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Charlevoix Township

Where can I hike in Charlevoix Township?

The longest trail networks: North Point Nature Preserve, 2.6 miles; Fisherman's Island State Park, 2.5 miles; Mt. McSauba Recreation Area, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Charlevoix Township is conserved land?

26% 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 Charlevoix Township’s trails?

North Point Nature Preserve and Fisherman's Island State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Charlevoix Township?

2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of off-road paths.

Is there public land near Charlevoix Township?

5,750 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlevoix Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 704 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Charlevoix Township have?

Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Charlevoix Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →