DeYoung Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
192 acres2.7 mi of trail
Wild Edibles TrailForest Valley TrailFarmstead TrailCrossover Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Rochelle Briggeman · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Elmwood Township
Elmwood Township has 194 acres of parks, 39 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: DeYoung Natural Area (2.7 mi). 5% of Elmwood Township’s land is conserved, about 690 acres. 53% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #362 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
690 acres · of 19.9 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
194 ac
39 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.0 mi
7.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,053 ft
Fouch Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 6 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elmwood Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elmwood Township is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #362 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 Elmwood Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land39 acres of park per 1,000 residents (194 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home53% 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 61%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 48%
Water is 35% of Elmwood Township’s area (11 of 31 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 DeYoung Natural Area, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Greilickville Harbor Park
Park
4 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
6,501 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cherry Bend Community Park
Managed by Elmwood Charter Township
16 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
DeYoung Natural Area192 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsGreilickville Harbor Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGrand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve6,501 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCherry Bend Community Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Elmwood Charter Township
DirectionsFulton Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Traverse City
DirectionsHidden Hills High Point Park16 acres
Forest Park5 acres
Hickory Forest Natural Area3 acres
Valley Hills Park2 acres
Cedar Lake Boating Access Site1 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
690 conserved acres
5% of Elmwood Township’s land. Water is left out: Elmwood Township has 19.9 square miles of land and 11.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Elmwood Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)413 ac
State Department of Land211 ac
County102 ac
Town or city87 ac
Other state land6 ac
Agricultural Easement · 413 acUnknown · 211 acLocal Conservation Area · 170 acLocal Park · 20 acConservation Easement · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 314 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deyoung Natural Area Local Conservation Area | County | 170 | Open |
| Stanek Unknown | State Department of Land | 117 | Open |
| Leelanau Conservancy, parcel a, Crane Hill Vinyard Unknown | State Department of Land | 47 | Open |
| Leelanau Conservancy, parcel b, Frasier Unknown | State Department of Land | 47 | Open |
| Cherry Bend Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Greilickville Harbor Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Fulton Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Elmwood Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Elmwood Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Elmwood Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Elmwood Township
Cedar Lake Boat LaunchIn Cedar Lake Boating Access Site
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Elmwood Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Elmwood Township
Fouch Hill1,053 ft elevation
DirectionsMorgan Hill961 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
Wild Edibles Trail0.8 mi
Forest Valley Trail0.4 mi
Farmstead Trail0.1 mi
Crossover Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
4Basketball
1Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Campbell-DeYoung FarmDistrict · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Elmwood 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 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 30 | 40 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Elmwood Township →
Next door
Elmwood Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Traverse City12 miSolon Township5.6 miElmwood Township5.1 miBingham Township4.3 miGreilickville3.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood Township | 5% | 0.3 | 39 | 53% | B |
| Traverse City | 3% | 1.4 | 13 | 99% | A− |
| Solon Township | 3% | 0.2 | 307 | 30% | B− |
| Greilickville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bingham Township | 3% | 0.2 | 94 | 26% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elmwood Township
Where can I hike in Elmwood Township?
The longest trail networks: DeYoung Natural Area, 2.7 miles; Greilickville Harbor Park, 0.4 miles; Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve, 0.3 miles; Cherry Bend Community Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elmwood 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 Elmwood Township’s trails?
DeYoung Natural Area and Greilickville Harbor Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Elmwood Township?
7.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Elmwood Township?
8,536 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elmwood Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 296 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Elmwood Township have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #362 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 Elmwood 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 →