Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1,790 acres20.4 mi of trail
Lost Lake PathwayPowerline TrailLake Dubonnet Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Phoenix-Five · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Long Lake Township
Long Lake Township has 45 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
877 acres are parks and preserves, 88 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit (20.4 mi), Timbers Recreation Area (5.6 mi), South Long Lake Forest Natural Area (4.7 mi). 48% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #223 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
717 acres · of 29.9 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
877 ac
88 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.7 mi
7.7 mi paths
Highest peak
1,214 ft
Exodus Hill
Lakes & rivers
22
4 beaches · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Long Lake Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Long Lake Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Long Lake Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #223 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 Long Lake Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land88 acres of park per 1,000 residents (877 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home48% 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 77%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 68%
Water is 16% of Long Lake Township’s area (6 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, with 20.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Timbers Recreation Area
Managed by Long Lake Charter Township
256 acres5.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
South Long Lake Forest Natural Area
Managed by Charter Township of Long Lake
263 acres4.7 mi of trail
Luhrs Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cedar Run Creek Natural Area
Managed by Long Lake Township
145 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Cedar Run Creek Natural Area ParkingWebsite ↗
Twin Lakes Park
Managed by Charter Township of Long Lake
138 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Fisher's Run
Managed by Charter Township of Long Lake
40 acres1.2 mi of trail
Fisher's Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bullhead Lake Natural Area
Managed by Long Lake Township
31 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
South Island Nature Preserve
Managed by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
14 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 29 parks & preserves
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit1,790 acres · 20.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTimbers Recreation Area256 acres · 5.6 mi of trail · Long Lake Charter Township
DirectionsSouth Long Lake Forest Natural Area263 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · Charter Township of Long Lake
DirectionsCedar Run Creek Natural Area145 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Long Lake Township
DirectionsTwin Lakes Park138 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Charter Township of Long Lake
DirectionsFisher's Run40 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Charter Township of Long Lake
DirectionsBullhead Lake Natural Area31 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Long Lake Township
DirectionsSouth Island Nature Preserve14 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
DirectionsSettlers Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Settlers Cove Association
Briar Ridge Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPicnic Island2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Long Lake Township
Cedar Lake Boating Access Site36 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsLong Island23 acres · Long Lake Township
Haywood Park12 acres
DirectionsCrescent Shores Boat Launch Site9 acres · Charter Township of Long Lake
DirectionsFox Island Nature Preserve8 acres · Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Carter Strong Nature Sanctuary5 acres · Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Heather Ridge Park3 acres
Mallard Hollow Park3 acres
Shadyland Park2 acres
Westfield Meadows Park2 acres
Reily Park2 acres
Gilbert Park2 acres
DirectionsMeadowlark Park2 acres
Taylor Park2 acres
DirectionsOak Valley Park1 acres
Pinewood Park1 acres
Sunset View Park1 acres
Stricker Park1 acres
Who protects it
717 conserved acres
4% of Long Lake Township’s land. Water is left out: Long Lake Township has 29.9 square miles of land and 5.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Long Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife433 ac
County139 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits66 ac
Private owners65 ac
Town or city13 ac
Other state land1 ac
State Conservation Area · 433 acLocal Park · 152 acPrivate Park · 65 acUnknown Easement · 36 acPrivate Conservation · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake DuBonnet Flooding State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 433 | Open |
| Twin Lakes Park Local Park | County | 139 | Open |
| Cedar Hills Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 65 | Restricted |
| South Island Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Open |
| Fox Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Open |
| Carter Strong Bird Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Haywood Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Taylor Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Gilbert Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
26 places to go in Long Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Long Lake Township
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Long Lake Township
Cedar Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsCrescent Shores Road Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Long Lake Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Long Lake Township
Exodus Hill1,214 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Long Lake Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Long Lake Township
Camp Dubonett
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 22 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.6 miHorses · 2.2 miUnpaved · 41.9 mi
Lake Dubonnet Trail2.3 mi
Lost Lake Pathway2.2 mi
Powerline Trail2.2 mi
Fisher's Run Trail1.0 mi
Luhrs Trail0.8 mi
Hendry0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Apollo LakelakeArtemis LakepondBass LakelakeBellows LakelakeBullhead LakepondCedar LakelakeCoffield LakeDyer LakelakeFern LakelakeHuellmantel LakelakeLong LakelakeLost LakelakeLyons LakelakeMickey LakelakeNorth Twin LakelakePage LakelakeRuth LakelakeSkiver LakelakeSouth Twin LakelakeSpencer's PondpondStricker LakeWhelock Lakelake
Biking & sports
7.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Tennis
7Baseball
4Equestrian
4Basketball
3Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Long Lake 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 | 15.6 | 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) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Long Lake Township →
Next door
Long Lake Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Garfield Township63 miInland Township61 miAlmira Township50 miLong Lake Township45 miGreen Lake Township43 miSolon Township5.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Lake Township | 4% | 1.5 | 88 | 48% | A− |
| Green Lake Township | 10% | 1.5 | 149 | 41% | A− |
| Garfield Township | 5% | 2.4 | 50 | 83% | A |
| Almira Township | 2% | 1.5 | 59 | 31% | B+ |
| Solon Township | 3% | 0.2 | 307 | 30% | B− |
| Inland Township | 2% | 1.7 | 169 | 15% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Long Lake Township
Where can I hike in Long Lake Township?
The longest trail networks: Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit, 20.4 miles; Timbers Recreation Area, 5.6 miles; South Long Lake Forest Natural Area, 4.7 miles; Cedar Run Creek Natural Area, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Long Lake Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Long Lake Township’s trails?
Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit and Timbers Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Long Lake Township?
7.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Long Lake Township?
8,942 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Long Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 877 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Long Lake Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #223 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 Long Lake 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 →