Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
878 acres9.9 mi of trail
North Country National Scenic TrailOrange Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Little Traverse Township
Little Traverse Township has 44 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
731 acres are parks and preserves, 276 per 1,000 residents. 12% of Little Traverse Township’s land is conserved, about 1,347 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit (9.9 mi), Offield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve (5.6 mi), Offield Family Working Forest Reserve (4.7 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #66 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,347 acres · of 18.0 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
731 ac
276 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 5.7 mi paths
Highest peak
1,289 ft
Tower Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Little Traverse Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Little Traverse Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Little Traverse Township is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #66 of 701 in Michigan. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Little Traverse Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land276 acres of park per 1,000 residents (731 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home53% 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 91%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 91%
Water is 12% of Little Traverse Township’s area (2 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, with 9.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Offield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve
Managed by Little Traverse Land Conservancy
319 acres5.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Offield Family Working Forest Reserve
Nature preserve
390 acres4.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Watson Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
69 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sally and Art Hailand Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
39 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Sally and Art Hailand Nature Preserve Trailhead ParkingWebsite ↗
Joseph J. Schott Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
51 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Helstrom Family Nature Preserve
Managed by Little Traverse Conservancy
41 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Kalman Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
67 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 32 parks & preserves
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit878 acres · 9.9 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsOffield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve319 acres · 5.6 mi of trail · Little Traverse Land Conservancy
DirectionsOffield Family Working Forest Reserve390 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWatson Nature Preserve69 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsSally and Art Hailand Nature Preserve39 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
DirectionsJoseph J. Schott Nature Preserve51 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Helstrom Family Nature Preserve41 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
Kalman Nature Preserve67 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Roaring Brook Nature Preserve18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Little Traverse Conservancy
John & Helen Schachinger Nature Preserve3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Menonaqua Woods Nature Preserve94 acres
Kuebler Trippe Nature Preserve68 acres
Fochtman Nature Preserve46 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
DirectionsA.C. Fischer Nature Preserve45 acres
Brian Leonard Granger Nature Preserve33 acres · Little Traverse Conservancy
DirectionsBlack Forest Hall Nature Preserve32 acres
MacDonald Nature Preserve13 acres
DirectionsMeadowgate Nature Preserve10 acres
Michael Cameron Dempsey Nature Preserve10 acres
Kalman - Harbor Cove Nature Preserve8 acres
Watson Addition #3 (Moellering/Lanzen) Nature Preserve7 acres
Martha Cavanagh Cameron Nature Preserve6 acres
DirectionsJohn W. Fischer Memorial Nature Preserve3 acres
Little Traverse Township Boat Launch2 acres · Little Traverse Township
DirectionsS.A. Bissell Nature Preserve2 acres
Harbor Springs Deer Park1 acres
Little Traverse Township Park1 acres · Little Traverse Township
DirectionsSandford Nature Preserve1 acres
Sarah and Fred Renker Nature Preserve1 acres
Schachinger North Nature Preserve1 acres
Little Traverse Township Playground1 acres · Little Traverse Township
DirectionsBartley Nature Preserve1 acres
Who protects it
1,347 conserved acres
12% of Little Traverse Township’s land. Water is left out: Little Traverse Township has 18.0 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Little Traverse Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,211 ac
Private owners135 ac
Town or city1 ac
Private Conservation · 804 acPrivate Forest Stewardship · 292 acPrivate Park · 133 acState Conservation Area · 115 acLocal Park · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offield Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 390 | Open |
| Offield Family Viewlands Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 292 | Open |
| Wequetonsing Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 133 | Restricted |
| Kalman State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 69 | Open |
| Watson Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 52 | Open |
| Joseph J. Schott Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 51 | Open |
| Hailand Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 49 | Unknown |
| Fischer State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Open |
| Horace M. Huffman, Jr. Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 40 | Open |
| Helstrom Family Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 39 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Little Traverse Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Little Traverse Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Little Traverse Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Little Traverse Township
Little Traverse Township Boat LaunchIn Little Traverse Township Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Little Traverse Township
Tower Hill1,289 ft elevation
DirectionsPintail Peak1,207 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 19.7 miUnpaved · 23.1 mi
North Country National Scenic Trail2.1 mi
Upper Blue Trail1.8 mi
Orange Trail1.8 mi
Lower Blue Trail0.9 mi
Manitoba Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
20Tennis
2Baseball
2Soccer
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Little Traverse 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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 29 | 38 | 49 | 63 | 72 | 76 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Little Traverse Township →
Next door
Little Traverse Township and its neighbors
Little Traverse Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pleasantview Township125 miLittle Traverse Township44 miBear Creek Township39 miWest Traverse Township21 miLittlefield Township16 miMaple River Township14 miHarbor Springs2.1 miConway0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Traverse Township | 12% | 2.4 | 276 | 53% | A |
| Harbor Springs | 9% | 1.6 | 124 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Pleasantview Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bear Creek Township | 3% | 1.0 | 88 | 30% | B+ |
| West Traverse Township | 10% | 1.6 | 172 | 63% | A |
| Conway | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Littlefield Township | 8% | 0.7 | 100 | 48% | A− |
| Maple River Township | 4% | 0.4 | 349 | 24% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Little Traverse Township
Where can I hike in Little Traverse Township?
The longest trail networks: Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 9.9 miles; Offield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve, 5.6 miles; Offield Family Working Forest Reserve, 4.7 miles; Watson Nature Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Little Traverse Township is conserved land?
12% 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 Little Traverse Township’s trails?
Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit and Offield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Little Traverse Township?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 5.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Little Traverse Township?
10,257 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Little Traverse Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 731 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Little Traverse Township have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #66 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Little Traverse 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 →