Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
42 miles of mapped trail cross Excelsior Township, 1.2 per square mile of land. 14% of Excelsior Township’s land is conserved, about 3,160 acres. The biggest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (26 mi), Upper Manistee Headwaters: The Milock Family Preserve (5 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Excelsior Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, with 26 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
14% of Excelsior Township’s land. Who manages Excelsior Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNRTF Parcel State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,685 | Restricted |
| Camp Ta-Pi-Co Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 1,244 | Open |
| Grandview Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 203 | Restricted |
| Timber Wolf Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 29 | Restricted |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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 | 15.6 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 40 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Excelsior Township →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior Township | 14% | 1.2 | 1,198 | 11% | A− |
| Oliver Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Kalkaska Township | 1% | 3.0 | 24 | 53% | B |
| Coldsprings Township | 1% | 1.3 | 71 | 14% | B |
| Bear Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Orange Township | 5% | 0.6 | 2 | 2% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 26 miles; Upper Manistee Headwaters: The Milock Family Preserve, 5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
14% 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.
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit and Upper Manistee Headwaters: The Milock Family Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
11,607 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Excelsior Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,254 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 81% 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Excelsior Township neighbors.
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 →