Manistee County is bounded to the west by Lake Michigan with protected dunes along much of that lakeshore. Inland, forest covers a majority of the land area with the Manistee National Forest covering a portion of the county. There are also ample wetlands, along with numerous inland lakes, rivers and streams. The lake effect on Manistee's climate is quite strong during much of the year. The lake effect increases cloudiness and snowfall during the fall and winter and also modifies temperatures, keeping them cooler during the late spring and early summer, and warmer during the late fall and early winter.
| OVERVIEW | |
| Total square miles | 544 |
| Total number of acres in county | 357,056 |
| Land acres | 347,456 |
| Water acres | 9,600 |
| Acres of public recreation land | 110,762 |
| Inland lakes larger than 50 acres in size | 8,248 |
| 276 miles of rivers & streams | |
| 25 miles of Great Lakes shoreline | |
| DUNE | |
| 588 Acres of legislatively protected dunes | |
| WETLAND | |
| Total acres of wetland | 73,503 |
| Total square miles of wetland | 114.85 |
| Percentage of total land area | 21.1% |
| FOREST | |
| Acres of forest | 253,300 |
| Square miles of forest | 395.8 |
| Percentage of total land area | 72.8% |
| AGRICULTURAL LAND USE | |
| Acres of land in farms – 1987 | 46,747 |
| Acres of land in farms – 1992 | 48,029 |
| Acres of land in farms – 1997 | 47,521 |
| Acres of land in farms – 2002 | 46,442 |
| Source: USDA, Ag Census 1987-1992-1997-2202 | |
| Source: Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, unless otherwise noted | |
| CLIMATE | ||
| Temperatures | Avg. Min | Avg. Max |
| January | 16°F / -9°C | 29°F / -2°C |
| July | 59°F / 15°C | 80°F / 27°C |
| Days above 90°F | 6 | |
| Days below 0°F | 5 | |
| Avg. Annual Rainfall | 31 inches | |
| Avg. Annual Snowfall | 92 inches | |
| Source: NOAA Climate Summary, 1995 | ||