Hemlock Crossing
Managed by Ottawa County
299 acres6.1 mi of trail
.12.23.21.20+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tim Kiser · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Port Sheldon Township
Port Sheldon Township has 962 acres of parks, 183 for every 1,000 residents
18 miles of mapped trail cross Port Sheldon Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Hemlock Crossing (6.1 mi), VanBuren Street Dunes Open Space (3.6 mi), Port Sheldon Natural Area (3 mi). 7% of Port Sheldon Township’s land is conserved, about 1,009 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #220 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,009 acres · of 22.3 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
962 ac
183 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Port Sheldon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Port Sheldon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Port Sheldon Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #220 of 701 in Michigan. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Port Sheldon 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 (18 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land183 acres of park per 1,000 residents (962 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13AParks close to home41% 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 78%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 69%
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 Hemlock Crossing, with 6.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
VanBuren Street Dunes Open Space
Nature preserve
120 acres3.6 mi of trail
.80.34.27.10
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Port Sheldon Natural Area
Nature preserve
440 acres3 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Olive Shores County Park
Park
17 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Hemlock Crossing299 acres · 6.1 mi of trail · Ottawa County
DirectionsVanBuren Street Dunes Open Space120 acres · 3.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPort Sheldon Natural Area440 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsOlive Shores County Park17 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Windsnest Park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKouw Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
West Michigan Underwater Preserve20 acres
Zwemer Park4 acres
Who protects it
1,009 conserved acres
7% of Port Sheldon Township’s land. Who manages Port Sheldon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County839 ac
Private owners101 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits52 ac
Town or city20 ac
Other state land10 ac
Local Conservation Area · 559 acLocal Park · 299 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 101 acConservation Easement · 62 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Sheldon Natural Area Local Conservation Area | County | 440 | Open |
| Pine Bend Local Park | County | 156 | Open |
| Hemlock Crossing Local Park | County | 122 | Open |
| Van Buren Street Dunes Local Conservation Area | County | 120 | Open |
| Holland Beagle Club Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 101 | Restricted |
| Port Sheldon Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Zwemer Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Kouw Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Kirk Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Port Sheldon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Port Sheldon Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Port Sheldon Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Port Sheldon Township
6 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Port Sheldon Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
17 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.3 mi
.800.9 mi
.120.6 mi
.230.5 mi
.210.4 mi
.200.4 mi
.190.4 mi
.340.4 mi
.360.4 mi
.180.3 mi
.290.3 mi
7 more trails
.27
0.3 mi.26
0.2 mi.11
0.2 mi.10
0.2 mi.15
0.1 mi.13
0.1 mi.08
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in Port Sheldon Township: June 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 44 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Port Sheldon Township →
Next door
Port Sheldon Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Sheldon Township | 7% | 0.8 | 183 | 41% | A− |
| Grand Haven Township | 9% | 1.3 | 86 | 74% | A |
| Olive Township | 5% | 0.4 | 144 | 13% | B |
| Park Township | 7% | 1.7 | 55 | 83% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Port Sheldon Township
Where can I hike in Port Sheldon Township?
The longest trail networks: Hemlock Crossing, 6.1 miles; VanBuren Street Dunes Open Space, 3.6 miles; Port Sheldon Natural Area, 3 miles; Olive Shores County Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Port Sheldon 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 Port Sheldon Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Port Sheldon Natural Area. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Port Sheldon Township?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Port Sheldon Township?
11,755 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Port Sheldon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 962 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Port Sheldon Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #220 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 Port Sheldon 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 →