Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Harbor Springs Depot · Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.09% of Harbor Springs’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 2.1 miles of mapped trail cross Harbor Springs, 1.6 per square mile of land. 135 acres are parks and preserves, 124 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Harbor Springs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Harbor Springs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harbor Springs is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Kosequat Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Naas, Mauger, Raunecker Nature Preserve
Harbor Springs Deer Park
All 11 parks & preserves
72 conserved acres
9% of Harbor Springs’ land. Who manages Harbor Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raunecker Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Open |
| West Wequetonsing Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Open |
| Leslie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Josephine ford Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Zorn Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 places to go in Harbor Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail
0.4 miles of bike routes
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.
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Harbor Springs: 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 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 28 | 37 | 49 | 62 | 71 | 76 | 75 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Harbor Springs →
Harbor Springs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Springs | 9% | 1.6 | 124 | 99%+ | A+ |
| West Traverse Township | 10% | 1.6 | 172 | 63% | A |
| Little Traverse Township | 12% | 2.4 | 276 | 53% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harbor Springs
Where can I hike in Harbor Springs?
The longest trail networks: Kosequat Park, 0.6 miles; Naas, Mauger, Raunecker Nature Preserve, 0.5 miles; Harbor Springs Deer Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harbor Springs is conserved land?
9% 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 Harbor Springs’ trails?
Kosequat Park and Naas, Mauger, Raunecker Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harbor Springs?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harbor Springs?
4,219 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harbor Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 135 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Harbor Springs have?
Ahead of 98% 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.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Harbor Springs neighbors.
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 →