Leelanau State Park
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,636 acres10.4 mi of trail
Mud Lake TrailLake Michigan TrailTamarack CutoffPothole Ridge+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Morgan-Copp-Mervau Building · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Leelanau Township
Leelanau Township has 4,207 acres of parks, 1,959 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Leelanau Township’s land is conserved, about 5,054 acres. The biggest trail networks: Leelanau State Park (10.4 mi), Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area (3.3 mi), Kehl Lake Natural Area (1.6 mi). 30 miles of mapped trail cross Leelanau Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
5,054 acres · of 49.2 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,207 ac
1,959 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
781 ft
Bramen Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
4 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Leelanau Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Leelanau Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Leelanau Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Leelanau Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,959 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,207 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home41% 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 84%
LessMore
Water is more than half of Leelanau Township’s area (178 of 227 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Leelanau State Park, with 10.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2,100 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kehl Lake Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
279 acres1.6 mi of trail
Outer Loop TrailOld Birch TrailCrossover Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lighthouse West Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
47 acres1.1 mi of trail
Birding LoopGlacial Lakes TrailCrossover Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve
Nature preserve
12,912 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Leelanau State Park1,636 acres · 10.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBeaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area2,100 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Kehl Lake Natural Area279 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsLighthouse West Natural Area47 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsGrand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve12,912 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFinton Natural Area31 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
Bay Front Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBraman Hill Recreation Area79 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Township of Leelanau
DirectionsJeff Lamont Preserve31 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSoper Natural Area72 acres · Leelanau Converancy
Frazier-Freeland Preserve23 acres
Peterson Park9 acres
DirectionsHaserot Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,054 conserved acres
16% of Leelanau Township’s land. Water is left out: Leelanau Township has 49.2 square miles of land and 178.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Leelanau Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,141 ac
State parks1,587 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)558 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits475 ac
Private owners270 ac
Town or city23 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,141 acState Park · 1,587 acAgricultural Easement · 551 acPrivate Conservation · 475 acPrivate Park · 270 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 558 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2,141 | Open |
| Leelanau State Park State Park | State parks | 1,587 | Open |
| Kehl Lake Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 267 | Open |
| Matheson Greens Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 214 | Restricted |
| Soper Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 75 | Closed |
| Northport Point Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 56 | Restricted |
| Lighthouse West Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Closed |
| Finton Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 32 | Open |
| Jeff Lamont Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 31 | Open |
| Frazier-Freeland Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Leelanau Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Leelanau Township
Christmas Cove Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Leelanau Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Leelanau Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Leelanau Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Leelanau Township
Bramen Hill781 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Leelanau Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Leelanau Township
Leelanau State Park CampgroundIn Leelanau State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.5 mi
Mud Lake Trail3.1 mi
Lake Michigan Trail0.9 mi
Birding Loop0.9 mi
Outer Loop Trail0.7 mi
Old Birch Trail0.6 mi
Tamarack Cutoff0.5 mi
Nagonaba Footpath0.4 mi
Pothole Ridge0.4 mi
Maple Ridge0.3 mi
Mossy Hemlock Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Crossover Trail
0.2 miGlacial Lakes Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
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
22Tennis
5Pickleball
3Soccer
2Baseball
1Skate park
1Basketball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Leelanau 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 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 29 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 77 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Leelanau Township →
Next door
Leelanau Township and its neighbors
Leelanau Township has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leelanau Township | 16% | 0.6 | 1,959 | 41% | A− |
| Leland Township | 66% | 0.9 | 550 | 58% | A |
| Suttons Bay Township | 6% | 0.6 | 130 | 44% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Leelanau Township
Where can I hike in Leelanau Township?
The longest trail networks: Leelanau State Park, 10.4 miles; Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area, 3.3 miles; Kehl Lake Natural Area, 1.6 miles; Lighthouse West Natural Area, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Leelanau Township is conserved land?
16% 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 Leelanau Township’s trails?
Leelanau State Park and Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Leelanau Township?
9,026 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Leelanau Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,207 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Leelanau Township have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Leelanau 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 →