Welcome to the website for Garfield Township, located in Kalkaska County.

Garfield Township, Kalkaska County, consists of 3 ranges and it is the largest township in lower Michigan.  Of the approximate 67,600  acres of land in the township, 50,890 acres belong to the state of  Michigan.

    The large portion of state land makes Garfield Township a popular hunting ground for whitetail.  During hunting season, the cabins that stand empty all year  suddenly come alive.  Every where you look you can catch glimpses of  hunter orange.

    The plentiful snowfall and groomed trails makes Garfield Township buzz with snowmobile activity in the winter.  There are about 10 miles of the groomed Cranberry Trail for snowmobiles in the township. 

    There are approximately 30 miles of ORV trails running through the township.

     Mushrooming is quite popular here.......if you are lucky enough to know where to find them.  You have to discover them on your own though. The  people in-the-know keep their favorite spots a deep, dark secret!

     The majestic Manistee River is 232 miles long and of those, 19.96 miles are in this township.  It emerges from the hills just southeast of Alba in Antrim County and flows westward into Lake Michigan at Manistee.  It lays claim to being one of the best trout streams east of the Rockies. It is ranked Michigan's third best smallmouth bass river.

    The  river's name comes from the Ojibwa word Manistiqweita, meaning "Crooked  River".  Historically, the upper river was renowned for its  outstanding Grayling (trout) fishing, among the finest in the world, as  catches in excess of 1,000 fish per weekend outing were commonly  reported up until the late 1800's, when extensive logging in the area  ruined the habitat.  Logging in the area commenced in earnest between  1880 and 1910, with peak production occurring in the 1890's.  The river's relatively large size, stable flows, and dearth of cataracts or other difficult passages made it ideal for the transporting of lumber.  During this period, huge numbers of white pine logs, some as large as six feet in diameter, were floated down the river to the port at  Manistee and eventually on to the lumber companies at Grand Rapids,  Milwaukee, and Chicago where the wood was used to build cities and towns of the Midwestern United States.  Some of these logs became trapped at various points of the river, and can be seen today along the river  bottom, vestiges of a bygone era.  (Wikipedia)

    Today the river is used extensively for recreation: boating, canoeing, tubing and fishing.

     Each visit to Garfield Township, Kalkaska County whether in the spring, with new shoots of green making promises of things to come; in the summer, for a laid back vacation of fishing or canoeing on our many miles of streams; in the fall when the colors are so vibrant you can almost taste them; or in the winter when everything is covered with a new canvas of pristine white, is sure to be a pleasing adventure.