Bear River Valley Recreation Area
Park
35 acres1.9 mi of trail
North Country Trailnature trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Todd Van Hoosear · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Petoskey
Petoskey has 29 miles of mapped trails, 5.6 for every square mile of land
19% of Petoskey’s land is conserved, about 610 acres. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 264 acres are parks and preserves, 45 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #6 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
610 acres · of 5.1 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
5.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
264 ac
45 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.7 mi
8.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Petoskey?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Petoskey have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Petoskey is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #6 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Petoskey’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails5.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land45 acres of park per 1,000 residents (264 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% 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 98%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)#6 of 701
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Bear River Valley Recreation Area, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Petoskey Winter Sports Park
Park
39 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
River Bend Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
Bear River Valley Recreation Area35 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsEast Park36 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsPetoskey Winter Sports Park39 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsTownline Road Park37 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsArlington Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Bend Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsClark Nature Preserve6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Bayfront Park West5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLockwood Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Mineral Well Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBates Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDowntown Greenway4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPennsylvania Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSunset Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Petoskey
DirectionsCurtis Park7 acres
DirectionsWashington Park3 acres
Quarry Park2 acres
DirectionsBayfront Park2 acres
DirectionsBay View Woods Park1 acres
Wayside Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
610 conserved acres
19% of Petoskey’s land. Who manages Petoskey’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners398 ac
Town or city176 ac
County22 ac
Other state land9 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
Private Park · 398 acLocal Park · 144 acLocal Recreation Area · 53 acConservation Easement · 9 acPrivate Conservation · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Harbor Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 379 | Restricted |
| Petoskey Winter Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Bear River Valley Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| East Park Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Emmet Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 22 | Restricted |
| River Road Sports Complex Private Park | Private owners | 19 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Magnus Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Bayfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Curtis Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Petoskey
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Petoskey
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Petoskey
Fred Friedli Playground
DirectionsPlus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Petoskey
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Petoskey
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Petoskey
River OverlookIn Bear River Valley Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Petoskey
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Petoskey
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.1 miUnpaved · 3.9 mi
North Country Trail2.4 mi
NCMC Nature Area Trail1.6 mi
Blue Loop0.7 mi
NCMC Nature Area Trail & North Country Trail0.6 mi
nature trail0.3 mi
Clark Preserve Trail0.2 mi
North Country Trail (retired)0.2 mi
Red Loop0.2 mi
Spur Loop0.2 mi
Downtown Greenway0.1 mi
1 more trails
(closed)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Tennis
11Baseball
5Basketball
4Soccer
2Equestrian
2Pickleball
2Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →38 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway StationBuilding · listed 1970
About itSt. Francis Solanus MissionBuilding · listed 1972
About itA. Malin HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itBert and John Hobbins HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itElias Meyers HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itFrank Lesher HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itFrank Schapler HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itG. W. Olin HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itGeorge and Eugene Markle HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itGeorge McManus HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itGeorge Schantz House and StoreBuilding · listed 1986
About itGerhard Fochtman HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About it26 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Petoskey: 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 | 15.6 | 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) | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Petoskey →
Next door
Petoskey and its neighbors
Petoskey has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petoskey | 19% | 5.6 | 45 | 96% | A+ |
| Bear Creek Township | 3% | 1.0 | 88 | 30% | B+ |
| Resort Township | 5% | 0.8 | 90 | 40% | B+ |
| Bay View | — 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 Petoskey
Where can I hike in Petoskey?
The longest trail networks: Bear River Valley Recreation Area, 1.9 miles; East Park, 0.9 miles; Petoskey Winter Sports Park, 0.7 miles; Townline Road Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Petoskey 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 Petoskey’s trails?
Bear River Valley Recreation Area and East Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Petoskey?
8.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Petoskey?
5,526 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Petoskey or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 264 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Petoskey have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 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 Petoskey 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 →