Getting to Elk Rapids Township & Village By Air is very easy with flights arriving daily into Traverse City 's Northern Michigan’s regional airport – Cherry Capital (TVC). Airlines servicing the regional area are American, Delta, and United. Delta Airline also provides several weekly non-stop flights between Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) & New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

Regionally, the Township of Elk Rapids (which contains the Village of Elk Rapids is within twenty minutes of Traverse City, the regional hub city of the area. Elk Rapids Township borders Elk Lake, one of the Chain of Lakes of Antrim County, containing 78 miles of navigable waters, and the harbor at Elk Rapids Village, which leads to the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan and thereafter to all the Great Lakes and their tributaries.

The Township of Elk Rapids sits on the east shore of the Grand Traverse Bay about 15 miles north of Traverse City and just over 30 miles south of Charlevoix. The Village of Elk Rapids with the Township is completely surrounded by the Township.  The Township is bounded on the east almost entirely by Elk Lake and, in total, is only a little over seven square miles of territory. The north section containing most of Bass Lake and Birch Lake and fully contains the Palmer-Wilcox-Shah Day Conservation Park on Grand Traverse Bay. The Township is located in a golfer's mecca close to many great courses. The high lands in the southern portion of the Township are covered with fruit orchards and the northern end is is mainly in forests, lakes and wetlands. Most of the Township & Village shore lands have been developed for residences.

Historic Buildings:  The Township & Village are committed to the goal of preserving the beautiful historic buildings within the Township. Two such historic buildings of major concern for preservation by residents of the Township are the 1865 Elk Rapids Village Historic Island House & Four Acre Island which was added to the State Historic Preservation Office's Registry of Historical Buildings and resides on a beautiful park-like 4 acre island bequeathed and now owned by the Village of Elk Rapids and the public. Another historic buildings of preservation concern is owned by the Township of Elk Rapids which is the historic Old Elk Rapids Town Hall building located on River Street. Of a future preservation concern is the historic lakeside Miller's Park Cottage District.

 
Historic 1865 Elk Rapids Island House

                       Historic Island House Bridge                                  Historic Island House Bridge                          Historic Island with Kid's Swimming Hole
 

Historic Elk Rapids Old Township Hall

Excellent Elk Rapids Township Fishing Opportunities: Walleye, trout, northern pike, perch, bass, black crappie, muskellunge, whitefish, northern pike, and bluegill are species found in Bass Lake, Elk Lake, and the Elk River. Sixty-nine different species of fish have been identified in the Chain-of-Lakes Watershed by the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. The Elk River Chain of Lakes fishery management strategy includes stocking and periodic surveying of fish populations. Brown trout, steelhead, and various species of salmon are found in Grand Traverse Bay. The Michigan Department of Resources has identified the Elk Rapids bay area as a key spawning ground for Cisco Whitefish. Many of the current recreational areas in the Township of Elk Rapids cater to recreational fishermen. Examples are the Dam Beach and Fishing Park as well as Kids Pond in the Village.

Habitats: Elk Rapids Township provides a habitat for populations of songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds, sand hill cranes, muskrat, mink, and raccoon are provided by the wetlands and lakeshores within the Township. The predominant mammal species found in the Township of Elk Rapids are squirrel, fox, raccoon, mink, muskrat, several weasel, skunk, rabbit, deer, coyote and the occasional transient lynx, grey wolf and black bear.