Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve
Managed by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
61 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Elk Rapids First Methodist Episcopal Church · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Elk Rapids Township
Elk Rapids Township has 136 acres of parks, 52 for every 1,000 residents
4% of Elk Rapids Township’s land is conserved, about 179 acres. 1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Elk Rapids Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 65% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #345 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
179 acres · of 7.1 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
136 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
4 beaches · 5 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elk Rapids Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elk Rapids Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #345 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Elk Rapids Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (136 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% 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 63%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 51%
Water is 35% of Elk Rapids Township’s area (4 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Petobego State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
59 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Elk Rapids Day Park
Park
14 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve61 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Petobego State Game Area59 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Elk Rapids Day Park14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve11 acres
Birch Lake Roadside Park9 acres · Michigan Department of Transportation
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park8 acres · Village of Elk Rapids
DirectionsRotary Park4 acres
DirectionsLibrary Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
179 conserved acres
4% of Elk Rapids Township’s land. Water is left out: Elk Rapids Township has 7.1 square miles of land and 3.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Elk Rapids Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners50 ac
State fish & wildlife46 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits43 ac
Town or city24 ac
County15 ac
Other state land1 ac
Private Park · 50 acState Conservation Area · 46 acPrivate Conservation · 43 acLocal Park · 39 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Rapids Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 50 | Restricted |
| Petobego State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 46 | Open |
| Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 43 | Open |
| Elk Rapids Park Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
| Library Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| River Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Fishing Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Elk Rapids Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Elk Rapids Township
North Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Elk Rapids Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Elk Rapids Township
Kayak Launch
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Elk Rapids Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
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
12Tennis
3Basketball
3Baseball
2Soccer
1Pickleball
1Football
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Elk Rapids 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 30 | 40 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 71 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Elk Rapids Township →
Next door
Elk Rapids Township and its neighbors
Elk Rapids Township has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Rapids Township | 4% | 0.2 | 52 | 65% | B |
| Elk Rapids | 8% | 0.4 | 22 | 70% | B+ |
| Milton Township | 2% | 0.7 | 235 | 15% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elk Rapids Township
Where can I hike in Elk Rapids Township?
The longest trail networks: Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve, 0.4 miles; Petobego State Game Area, 0.4 miles; Elk Rapids Day Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elk Rapids Township 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 Elk Rapids Township’s trails?
Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve and Petobego State Game Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Elk Rapids Township?
7,216 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elk Rapids Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 136 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Elk Rapids Township have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #345 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 Elk Rapids 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 →