Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness
Managed by National Park Service
14,350 acres31.5 mi of trail
North Manitou Island Main TrailsPotholes TrailTrail to Stormer PlaceCampground Trail+1
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Richard Hurd from Green Bay, USA · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Leland Township
More than half of Leland Township’s land is conserved: 66%
66% of Leland Township’s land is conserved, about 19,273 acres. 961 acres are parks and preserves, 550 per 1,000 residents. 42 miles of mapped trail cross Leland Township, 0.9 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
66%
19,273 acres · of 45.3 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
961 ac
550 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi paths
Highest peak
784 ft
Old Baldy Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
7 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Leland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild66% of the land is conserved; a typical Michigan town, 5%.Room to roam550 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 78% of U.S. towns.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Leland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Leland Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Leland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land66% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land550 acres of park per 1,000 residents (961 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home58% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
Water is more than half of Leland Township’s area (101 of 147 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
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 Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness, with 31.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Houdek Dunes Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservany
326 acres4 mi of trail
Forest TrailHoudek Loop TrailRidge Line TrailCrossover Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Clay Cliffs Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
113 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Managed by National Park Service
17,847 acres1.3 mi of trail
Cottage RowNorth Manitou Island Main Trails
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Whaleback Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
36 acres0.8 mi of trail
Manitout Lookout LoopBirch Valley LoopGlacial Hill TrailBluff Edge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness14,350 acres · 31.5 mi of trail · National Park Service
Houdek Dunes Natural Area326 acres · 4 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservany
DirectionsClay Cliffs Natural Area113 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore17,847 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
Whaleback Natural Area36 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
Narrows Natural Area63 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Leelanau Convervancy
DirectionsLeland Village Green1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Leelanau Conservancy
DirectionsManitou Passage Underwater Preserve12,630 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Provemont Pond Recreation Area76 acres · Township of Leland
Hancock Recreation Area16 acres
DirectionsJohn G. Suelzer East Leland Memorial Park4 acres · Leland Township
DirectionsBartholomew Park3 acres
DirectionsLake Leelanau Baseball Diamond2 acres · Leland Township
DirectionsGrove Park1 acres · Leland Township
Schneider Beach1 acres · Leland Township
Who protects it
19,273 conserved acres
66% of Leland Township’s land. Water is left out: Leland Township has 45.3 square miles of land and 101.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Leland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service17,695 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)751 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits620 ac
Town or city121 ac
Private owners88 ac
Other state land32 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 14,058 acConservation Easement · 3,646 acAgricultural Easement · 773 acPrivate Conservation · 486 acLocal Park · 123 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,401 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 26 parcels. 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 | 14,058 | Open |
| Houdek Dunes Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 380 | Open |
| Clay Cliffs Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 122 | Open |
| Provemont Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 100 | Open |
| Leland Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 88 | Restricted |
| Leugers at the Narrows Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 64 | Open |
| Whaleback Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 37 | Open |
| Hancock Field Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| St. Marys Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Schneiders Beach Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Leland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Leland Township
South Beach
DirectionsPlus 6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Leland Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Leland Township
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Leland Township
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Leland Township
Old Baldy Hill784 ft elevation · In Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness
DirectionsCampgrounds in Leland Township
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 21.9 mi
North Manitou Island Main Trails4.5 mi
Forest Trail1.2 mi
Potholes Trail0.9 mi
Houdek Loop Trail0.8 mi
Ridge Line Trail0.7 mi
Glacial Hill Trail0.5 mi
Trail to Stormer Place0.4 mi
Manitout Lookout Loop0.3 mi
Cottage Row0.3 mi
Birch Valley Loop0.3 mi
3 more trails
Campground Trail
0.2 miCrossover Trail
0.2 miTrail to Artesian Well
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
4Pickleball
3Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Leland 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) | 29 | 30 | 38 | 50 | 62 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 69 | 56 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Leland Township →
Next door
Leland Township and its neighbors
Leland Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Leland Township42 miCleveland Township31 miLeelanau Township30 miSuttons Bay Township14 miCenterville Township3.9 miLake Leelanau0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leland Township | 66% | 0.9 | 550 | 58% | A |
| Centerville Township | 12% | 0.1 | 329 | 9% | B |
| Suttons Bay Township | 6% | 0.6 | 130 | 44% | B+ |
| Leelanau Township | 16% | 0.6 | 1,959 | 41% | A− |
| Cleveland Township | 54% | 1.0 | 4,079 | 47% | A |
| Lake Leelanau | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Leland Township
Where can I hike in Leland Township?
The longest trail networks: Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness, 31.5 miles; Houdek Dunes Natural Area, 4 miles; Clay Cliffs Natural Area, 1.5 miles; Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Leland Township is conserved land?
66% 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 Leland Township’s trails?
Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness and Houdek Dunes Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Leland Township?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Leland Township?
14,249 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Leland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 961 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Leland Township have?
Ahead of 93% 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 Leland 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 →