Rockport Recreation Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
1,818 acres6.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Peterpahl8 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Presque Isle Township
Presque Isle Township has 2,047 acres of parks, 1,072 for every 1,000 residents
32 miles of mapped trail cross Presque Isle Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Rockport Recreation Area (6.9 mi), Besser Natural Area (1.4 mi), Presque Isle New Lighthouse Park (1.3 mi). 9% of Presque Isle Township’s land is conserved, about 2,006 acres.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,006 acres · of 35.4 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,047 ac
1,072 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
1.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
3 beaches · 10 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Presque Isle Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Presque Isle Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Presque Isle Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. 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 Presque Isle Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,072 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,047 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home34% 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 81%
LessMore
Water is 25% of Presque Isle Township’s area (12 of 47 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 Rockport Recreation Area, with 6.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Besser Natural Area
Managed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
77 acres1.4 mi of trail
Besser Natural Area Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Presque Isle New Lighthouse Park
Park
106 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Crystal Point Park
Park
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Rockport Recreation Area1,818 acres · 6.9 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
DirectionsBesser Natural Area77 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Presque Isle New Lighthouse Park106 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCrystal Point Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Presque Isle Old Lighthouse Park25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Bay Beach Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Burnham's Landing3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Thompson's Harbor State Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · State of Michigan
Esau Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary1,167 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration;State of Michigan
DirectionsEmily Min Hunt Preserve415 acres · Huron Pines
DirectionsTownship of Presque Isle Rear Range Lighthouse Park7 acres
Grand Lake Boating Access Site7 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBeach House Park3 acres · Presque Isle Harbor Association
Long Lake Boating Access Site3 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Homestead Park1 acres · Grand Lake Association
DirectionsPublic Access1 acres
Who protects it
2,006 conserved acres
9% of Presque Isle Township’s land. Water is left out: Presque Isle Township has 35.4 square miles of land and 11.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Presque Isle Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,849 ac
Town or city97 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits54 ac
Other state land5 ac
State Recreation Area · 1,849 acLocal Park · 97 acPrivate Conservation · 54 acConservation Easement · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockport Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 1,849 | Open |
| Presque Isle Lighthouse Park Local Park | Town or city | 97 | Open |
| Spitler Shore Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Open |
| Dault Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Closed |
Things to do
16 places to go in Presque Isle Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Presque Isle Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Presque Isle Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Presque Isle Township
Grand Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 9 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miHorses · 3.6 miUnpaved · 11.4 mi
Besser Natural Area Loop1.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
3Beach volleyball
2Basketball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Presque Isle 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 29 | 38 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 3.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Presque Isle Township →
Next door
Presque Isle Township and its neighbors
Presque Isle Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presque Isle Township | 9% | 0.9 | 1,072 | 34% | A− |
| Presque Isle Harbor | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Krakow Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alpena 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 Presque Isle Township
Where can I hike in Presque Isle Township?
The longest trail networks: Rockport Recreation Area, 6.9 miles; Besser Natural Area, 1.4 miles; Presque Isle New Lighthouse Park, 1.3 miles; Crystal Point Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Presque Isle Township 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 Presque Isle Township’s trails?
Rockport Recreation Area and Besser Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Presque Isle Township?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Presque Isle Township?
25,457 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Presque Isle Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,047 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Presque Isle Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Presque Isle 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 →