Magnus City Park is a waterfront park on the north side of town with direct access to the pebbly shore of Little Traverse Bay. It is the most popular spot for Petoskey stone hunting within the city limits — the bay bottom here is rocky and regularly turns up fresh specimens. The park has a boat launch, a picnic area, and good views across the bay toward Walloon Lake and the forested hills to the south.
The park is less crowded than Petoskey State Park a few miles north and is easy to reach on foot or by bike from the Gaslight District (about a mile). In summer the lake water is cool but swimmable by mid-July. The shore walk back toward the Waterfront Park and the history museum takes about twenty minutes along a flat path with bay views throughout.