Orchard Beach State Park
Park
200 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Manistee Township
Manistee Township has 1,837 acres of parks, 453 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Manistee Township’s land is conserved, about 5,378 acres. The biggest trail networks: Orchard Beach State Park (2.9 mi), Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District (1.6 mi), Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary (1.4 mi). 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #120 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
5,378 acres · of 44.4 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,837 ac
453 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.1 mi
5.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Manistee Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manistee Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manistee Township is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #120 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manistee Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land453 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,837 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home73% 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 87%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 83%
Water is 8% of Manistee Township’s area (4 of 48 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 18%.
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 Orchard Beach State Park, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,165 acres1.6 mi of trail
NFS 8269
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary
Managed by Michigan Audubon Society
53 acres1.4 mi of trail
Jackfern Trail/Lake Bluff Bird SanctuaryCottonwood Path/Lake Bluff Bird SanctuaryTrail/Lake Bluff Bird SanctuaryRidge Trail/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary+1
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Manistee River State Game Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
4,007 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Manistee Non-Motorized Trail Park
Managed by Shoreline Cycling Club
181 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Orchard Beach State Park200 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsManistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District1,165 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary53 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Michigan Audubon Society
DirectionsManistee River State Game Area4,007 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsManistee Non-Motorized Trail Park181 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Shoreline Cycling Club
DirectionsPenny Park5 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,378 conserved acres
19% of Manistee Township’s land. Water is left out: Manistee Township has 44.4 square miles of land and 3.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Manistee Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife3,899 ac
U.S. Forest Service1,167 ac
State natural resources201 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits99 ac
Town or city10 ac
Private owners2 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,899 acNational Forest · 1,167 acState Park · 201 acPrivate Park · 55 acUnknown Easement · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 47 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee River State Game Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,899 | Open |
| Manistee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,167 | Open |
| Orchard Beach State Park State Park | State natural resources | 201 | Open |
| Lake Bluff Audubon Center Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 53 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Bar Lake Outlet Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Manistee Township Park & Hall Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Heathlands Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 2 | Restricted |
Things to do
9 places to go in Manistee Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Manistee Township
North Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Manistee Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Manistee Township
Orchard Beach-ModernFee · In Orchard Beach State Park
DirectionsPenny Park CampgroundIn Penny Park
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.4 mi
NFS 82691.2 mi
Jackfern Trail/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary0.7 mi
Cottonwood Path/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary0.2 mi
Trail/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary0.2 mi
Ridge Trail/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary0.2 mi
Bluff Trail/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary0.1 mi
Beach Path/Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Orchard Beach State ParkDistrict · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Manistee Township: May to September
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 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 41 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Manistee Township →
Next door
Manistee Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stronach Township105 miBrown Township17 miManistee Township15 miOnekama Township6.6 miManistee1.2 miEastlake1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee Township | 19% | 0.3 | 453 | 73% | A |
| Onekama Township | 3% | 0.4 | 152 | 48% | B |
| Manistee | 9% | 0.4 | 23 | 99% | A− |
| Stronach Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Eastlake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brown Township | — 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 Manistee Township
Where can I hike in Manistee Township?
The longest trail networks: Orchard Beach State Park, 2.9 miles; Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District, 1.6 miles; Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary, 1.4 miles; Manistee River State Game Area, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manistee Township is conserved land?
19% 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 Manistee Township’s trails?
Orchard Beach State Park and Manistee National Forest - Manistee Ranger District don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manistee Township?
5.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Manistee Township?
59,299 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manistee Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,009 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Manistee Township have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #120 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 Manistee 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 →