Douglas Park
Park
26 acres0.5 mi of trail
River walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Manistee
9% of Manistee’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Douglas Park (0.5 mi). 9% of Manistee’s land is conserved, about 191 acres. 146 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #161 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
191 acres · of 3.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
146 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
6 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Manistee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manistee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manistee is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #161 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manistee’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (146 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 77%
Water is 28% of Manistee’s area (1 of 5 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Douglas Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rietz Park
Park
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Douglas Park26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLighthouse Park20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsManistee Municipal Marina Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Rietz Park8 acres
Duffy Park5 acres
DirectionsSands Park5 acres
DirectionsRed Szymarek Park4 acres
North Riverwalk and Veterans Memorial Park4 acres
DirectionsRotary Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
191 conserved acres
9% of Manistee’s land. Water is left out: Manistee has 3.3 square miles of land and 1.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Manistee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners105 ac
Town or city86 ac
Private Park · 105 acLocal Park · 86 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee Golf and Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 105 | Restricted |
| Douglas Recreation Area / First Street Beach / Lighthouse Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Rietz Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Sands Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Red Szymarek Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Morton Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Duffy Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Mack Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Manistee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Manistee
Plus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Manistee
6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Manistee
1st Street Boat LaunchFee
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
River walk0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
9Tennis
5Soccer
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Football
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ramsdell TheatreBuilding · listed 1972
About itOur Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran ChurchBuilding · listed 1972
About itFirst Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1974
About itManistee Central Business DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itManistee North PierStructure · listed 1990
About itManistee Harbor, South BreakwaterStructure · listed 1995
About itSimeon Babcock HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itManistee Iron Works Machine ShopBuilding · listed 2010
About itGuardian Angels ChurchBuilding · listed 2020
About itManistee Fire StationBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Manistee: 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) | 28 | 30 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Manistee →
Next door
Manistee and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee | 9% | 0.4 | 23 | 99% | A− |
| Filer Township | 3% | 0.5 | 44 | 45% | B |
| Manistee Township | 19% | 0.3 | 453 | 73% | 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 | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Manistee
Where can I hike in Manistee?
The longest trail networks: Douglas Park, 0.5 miles; Lighthouse Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manistee is conserved land?
9% 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’s trails?
Douglas Park and Lighthouse Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manistee?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Manistee?
38,082 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manistee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 146 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Manistee have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #161 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 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 →