Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,377 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto MDOT Park & Ride - Traverse City West
Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Kasson Township
Kasson Township has 749 acres of parks, 435 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (3.4 mi), Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (2.3 mi), Myles Kimmerly Park (1.1 mi). 34% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Kasson Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
722 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
749 ac
435 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,106 ft
Varney Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Kasson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kasson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kasson Township is ahead of 60% 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 Kasson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land435 acres of park per 1,000 residents (749 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 60%
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 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Managed by National Park Service
553 acres2.3 mi of trail
Kettles TrailLanham Road Connector
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Myles Kimmerly Park
Managed by Leelanau County
172 acres1.1 mi of trail
The Patrick Hobbins Hiking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Armstrong Lake Public Water Access Site
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit1,377 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore553 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsMyles Kimmerly Park172 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Leelanau County
DirectionsArmstrong Lake Public Water Access Site7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsKasson Township Park1 acres · Kasson Township
DirectionsWho protects it
722 conserved acres
3% of Kasson Township’s land. Who manages Kasson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service551 ac
County132 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)38 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 551 acLocal Park · 132 acConservation Easement · 38 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 551 | Open |
| Miles Kimmerly Park Local Park | County | 132 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Kasson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kasson Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Kasson Township
Armstrong Lake Boat LaunchIn Armstrong Lake Public Water Access Site
DirectionsScenic views in Kasson Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Kasson Township
Varney Hill1,106 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Kasson Township
Backyard Burdickville
DirectionsDisc golf in Kasson Township
Miles Kimmerly Disc GolfIn Myles Kimmerly Park
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 10.8 mi
Kettles Trail2.0 mi
The Patrick Hobbins Hiking Trail1.1 mi
South Greenway Trail0.6 mi
South Oak Hill Trail0.2 mi
Lanham Road Connector0.1 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
6Baseball
5Soccer
4Tennis
2Equestrian
2Basketball
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kasson 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 30 | 40 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Kasson Township →
Next door
Kasson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Almira Township50 miEmpire Township34 miCleveland Township31 miKasson Township11 miSolon Township5.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasson Township | 3% | 0.3 | 435 | 34% | B |
| Empire Township | 41% | 1.0 | 6,042 | 64% | A |
| Cleveland Township | 54% | 1.0 | 4,079 | 47% | A |
| Solon Township | 3% | 0.2 | 307 | 30% | B− |
| 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 Kasson Township
Where can I hike in Kasson Township?
The longest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 3.4 miles; Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 2.3 miles; Myles Kimmerly Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kasson Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Kasson Township’s trails?
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Kasson Township?
27,087 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kasson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 749 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kasson Township have?
Ahead of 60% 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 Kasson 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 →