Ottawa Sands County Park
Park
319 acres3.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ferrysburg
Ferrysburg has 9.6 miles of mapped trails, 3.2 for every square mile of land
526 acres are parks and preserves, 178 per 1,000 residents. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 20% of Ferrysburg’s land is conserved, about 374 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
374 acres · of 3.0 sq mi of land
Trails
9.6 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
526 ac
178 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.1 mi
7.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Ferrysburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ferrysburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ferrysburg is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs put Ferrysburg near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ferrysburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land178 acres of park per 1,000 residents (526 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)#1 of 701
Water is 17% of Ferrysburg’s area (1 of 4 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Ottawa Sands County Park, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Coast Guard Park
Park
71 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
North Ottawa Dunes County Park
Park
73 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ferrysburg Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
42 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Ottawa Sands County Park319 acres · 3.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCoast Guard Park71 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Ottawa Dunes County Park73 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsFerrysburg Nature Preserve42 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Beach Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFerry Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFire Barn Park4 acres
West Michigan Underwater Preserve3 acres
DirectionsSunnyside Park1 acres
Who protects it
374 conserved acres
20% of Ferrysburg’s land. Water is left out: Ferrysburg has 3.0 square miles of land and 0.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ferrysburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County328 ac
Town or city44 ac
Local Park · 335 acLocal Conservation Area · 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Sands County Park Local Park | County | 322 | Open |
| Ferrysburg Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| North Beach Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Fire Barn Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Ferry Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Ferrysburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ferrysburg
Coast Guard ParkIn Coast Guard Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ferrysburg
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Ferrysburg
Kayak & Canoe Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Ferrysburg
Wetland Viewing AreaIn Ottawa Sands County Park
DirectionsPlus 9 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Ferrysburg
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
8.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
9Tennis
4Basketball
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ferrysburg: June to September
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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Ferrysburg →
Next door
Ferrysburg and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrysburg | 20% | 3.2 | 178 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Spring Lake Township | 9% | 2.4 | 88 | 69% | A |
| Spring Lake | 5% | 1.8 | 21 | 99%+ | A |
| Grand Haven | 11% | 2.7 | 40 | 95% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ferrysburg
Where can I hike in Ferrysburg?
The longest trail networks: Ottawa Sands County Park, 3.7 miles; Coast Guard Park, 2.1 miles; North Ottawa Dunes County Park, 1.9 miles; Ferrysburg Nature Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ferrysburg is conserved land?
20% 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 Ferrysburg’s trails?
Ottawa Sands County Park and Coast Guard Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ferrysburg?
8.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.7 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ferrysburg?
9,577 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ferrysburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 526 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ferrysburg have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 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 Ferrysburg 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 →