Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve
Nature preserve
126 acres2.6 mi of trail
Connie Lindquist TrailMeime Vandenberg TrailHarold Hartger TrailMarjorie Hendricks Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Grand Haven
Grand Haven has 16 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11% of Grand Haven’s land is conserved, about 414 acres. 444 acres are parks and preserves, 40 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #19 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
414 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
444 ac
40 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.2 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 2.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Grand Haven?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Grand Haven have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grand Haven is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #19 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Grand Haven’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land40 acres of park per 1,000 residents (444 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 97%
Water is 8% of Grand Haven’s area (1 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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.
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 Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ottawa Sands County Park
Park
36 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Grand Haven State Park
Park
37 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 21 parks & preserves
Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve126 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRix Robinson Park60 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsDuncan Park44 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsOttawa Sands County Park36 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsGrand Haven State Park37 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsEastern Park9 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLinear Park4 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHatton Park28 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBicentennial Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGrand Haven City Beach12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChinook Pier2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMulligan’s Hollow5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFishermens Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBolt Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKlempel Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Owashtanong Islands Sanctuary13 acres · Michigan Audubon Society
DirectionsRobinson Park9 acres
Sluka Park6 acres
DirectionsEscanaba/John Kelly Park/Lighthouse Connector Park3 acres
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
414 conserved acres
11% of Grand Haven’s land. Water is left out: Grand Haven has 5.7 square miles of land and 0.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Grand Haven’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city316 ac
Other state land58 ac
County29 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits14 ac
Local Park · 345 acState Park · 36 acConservation Easement · 28 acPrivate Conservation · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Island Local Park | Town or city | 109 | Open |
| Mulligan'S Hollow Local Park | Town or city | 93 | Open |
| Duncan Woods Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Grand Haven State Park State Park | Other state land | 36 | Open |
| Ottawa Sands County Park Local Park | County | 29 | Open |
| Grand Haven City Beach Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Bicentennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Rix Robinson Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| East Grand River Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Adams Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in Grand Haven
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Grand Haven
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Grand Haven
Imagination StationIn Mulligan’s Hollow
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Grand Haven
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Grand Haven
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.5 mi
Meime Vandenberg Trail0.7 mi
Connie Lindquist Trail0.6 mi
Harold Hartger Trail0.6 mi
Marjorie Hendricks Trail0.4 mi
Poplar Ridge0.2 mi
Indian Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Tennis
10Pickleball
8Baseball
6Basketball
5Soccer
1Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Edward P. Ferry HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itPiers and Revetments at Grand Haven, MichiganStructure · listed 1995
About itPere Marquette Railway Locomotive #1223Structure · listed 2000
About itNathaniel and Esther (Savidge) Robbins HouseBuilding · listed 2009
About itGrand Haven Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2016
About itGrand Trunk Western Railroad Grand Haven Coal TippleStructure · listed 2016
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Grand Haven: July 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 Grand Haven →
Next door
Grand Haven 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Haven | 11% | 2.7 | 40 | 95% | A+ |
| Grand Haven Township | 9% | 1.3 | 86 | 74% | A |
| Spring Lake | 5% | 1.8 | 21 | 99%+ | A |
| Spring Lake Township | 9% | 2.4 | 88 | 69% | A |
| Ferrysburg | 20% | 3.2 | 178 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grand Haven
Where can I hike in Grand Haven?
The longest trail networks: Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve, 2.6 miles; Rix Robinson Park, 1 miles; Duncan Park, 0.8 miles; Ottawa Sands County Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grand Haven is conserved land?
11% 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 Grand Haven’s trails?
Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve and Rix Robinson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grand Haven?
3.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 2.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Grand Haven?
10,482 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grand Haven or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 444 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Grand Haven have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Grand Haven 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 →