East Nature Study Trails
Managed by New Buffalo Area Schools
36 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in New Buffalo Township
New Buffalo Township has 507 acres of parks, 205 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: East Nature Study Trails (1.5 mi), Galien River County Park (1.3 mi), West Nature Study Trails (0.9 mi). 16 miles of mapped trail cross New Buffalo Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. 7% of New Buffalo Township’s land is conserved, about 904 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #125 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
904 acres · of 20.0 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
507 ac
205 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
75%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.3 mi
4.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
11 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is New Buffalo Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Buffalo Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Buffalo Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #125 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Buffalo Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land205 acres of park per 1,000 residents (507 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home75% 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 86%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 82%
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 East Nature Study Trails, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Galien River County Park
Nature preserve
86 acres1.3 mi of trail
County Staff Only
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
West Nature Study Trails
Managed by New Buffalo Area Schools
30 acres0.9 mi of trail
NST-01
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Turtle Creek Preserve
Managed by Chickaming Open Lands
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Great White Pine Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Grand Beach Marsh
Managed by Chickaming Open Lands
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
East Nature Study Trails36 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · New Buffalo Area Schools
DirectionsGalien River County Park86 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Nature Study Trails30 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · New Buffalo Area Schools
DirectionsTurtle Creek Preserve11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Chickaming Open Lands
DirectionsGrand Beach Marsh9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Chickaming Open Lands
Glassman Park48 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNokmes Creek RCR30 acres · Chickaming Open Lands
Castle Keep28 acres · Chikaming Open Lands
Louis J. Sima Great Lakes Marsh1 acres · Chickaming Open Lands
Who protects it
904 conserved acres
7% of New Buffalo Township’s land. Who manages New Buffalo Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city301 ac
Private owners222 ac
County189 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits185 ac
Other state land24 ac
Local Recreation Area · 227 acPrivate Park · 222 acLocal Park · 153 acOther Easement · 115 acLocal Conservation Area · 109 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 130 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Adventures Camp Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 227 | Open |
| Whittaker Woods Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 166 | Restricted |
| Galien River Park Local Park | County | 106 | Open |
| Galien River County Park Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 83 | Open |
| Grand Beach Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 53 | Restricted |
| Glassman Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Nokmes Creek Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Closed |
| Grand Beach Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Grand Beach Marsh Fee State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Closed |
| Turtle Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in New Buffalo Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in New Buffalo Township
11 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in New Buffalo Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in New Buffalo Township
Galien River Boat Launch
DirectionsGlassman Park Kayak LaunchIn Glassman Park
DirectionsScenic views in New Buffalo Township
Lighthouse Creek OverlookIn West Nature Study Trails
DirectionsTurtle Creek OverlookIn Turtle Creek Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.4 mi
NST-010.5 mi
Great White Pine Loop0.2 mi
County Staff Only0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Tennis
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Buffalo Township: July and 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in New Buffalo Township →
Next door
New Buffalo Township and its neighbors
New Buffalo Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chikaming Township34 miNew Buffalo Township16 miSpringfield Township4.8 miNew Buffalo4.0 miThree Oaks Township1.1 miGrand Beach0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Buffalo Township | 7% | 0.8 | 205 | 75% | A |
| New Buffalo | 11% | 1.6 | 31 | 89% | A |
| Grand Beach | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Three Oaks Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 167 | 67% | B− |
| Chikaming Township | 12% | 1.5 | 170 | 63% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Buffalo Township
Where can I hike in New Buffalo Township?
The longest trail networks: East Nature Study Trails, 1.5 miles; Galien River County Park, 1.3 miles; West Nature Study Trails, 0.9 miles; Turtle Creek Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Buffalo Township is conserved land?
7% 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 New Buffalo Township’s trails?
East Nature Study Trails and Galien River County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in New Buffalo Township?
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near New Buffalo Township?
6,099 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Buffalo Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 507 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Buffalo Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #125 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 New Buffalo 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 →