Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,408 acres14.6 mi of trail
Platte River springs Pathway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Homestead Township
Homestead Township has 82 acres of parks, 34 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (14.6 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Homestead Township, 0.6 per square mile of land. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
369 acres · of 30.2 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
82 ac
34 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,106 ft
Champion Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Homestead Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Homestead Township is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns. 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 Homestead Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land34 acres of park per 1,000 residents (82 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home21% 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 50%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, with 14.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Platte River Park
Managed by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
49 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
369 conserved acres
2% of Homestead Township’s land. Who manages Homestead Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits273 ac
State natural resources83 ac
Other state land6 ac
Private owners6 ac
Town or city1 ac
Unknown Easement · 273 acState Conservation Area · 83 acConservation Easement · 6 acPrivate Park · 6 acLocal Park · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 279 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNRTF Parcel 11 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 66 | Restricted |
| MNRTF Parcel 1 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 17 | Restricted |
| Champion Hill Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 6 | Restricted |
| Maley Roadside Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Homestead Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Homestead Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Homestead Township
Champion Hill1,106 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Homestead Township
Platte River State Forest CampgroundIn Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
DirectionsVeterans Memorial State Forest CampgroundFee · In Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 18.1 mi
Platte River springs Pathway1.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Homestead 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 30 | 40 | 53 | 66 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Homestead Township →
Next door
Homestead Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Weldon Township100 miPlatte Township69 miInland Township61 miAlmira Township50 miHomestead Township18 miBenzonia Township9.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead Township | 2% | 0.6 | 34 | 21% | B− |
| Platte Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Weldon Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Inland Township | 2% | 1.7 | 169 | 15% | B |
| Benzonia Township | 7% | 0.3 | 249 | 65% | A− |
| Almira Township | 2% | 1.5 | 59 | 31% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Homestead Township
Where can I hike in Homestead Township?
The longest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 14.6 miles; Platte River Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Homestead Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Homestead Township’s trails?
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit and Platte River Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Homestead Township?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Homestead Township?
13,405 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Homestead Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 82 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Homestead Township have?
Ahead of 50% 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 Homestead 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 →