This is a list of Michigan state parks and related protected areas under the jurisdiction or owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Recreation Division. A total of 113 state parks, state recreation areas, state scenic sites, and trail state parks currently exist along with six other sites as well as 16 state harbors on the Great Lakes. While the Parks and Recreation Division directly manages the large majority of the parks in the system, a few are either jointly-managed with other agencies or are leased to other governmental entities, either temporarily or on an ongoing basis. Michigan's 103 state parks and recreation areas cover with 14,100 campsites in 142 campgrounds and over of trails. The state parks and recreation areas statewide collectively saw more than 26 million visits in 2016.
History Michigan's state parks system was started in 1919. Three Michigan state parks pre-date the creation of the park system in 1919: Mackinac Island State Park (1895), Michilimackinac State Park (1909) and Interlochen State Park (1917).
Mackinac Island State Park was created in 1895. It had served as the nation's second national park for two decades beginning in 1875. In 1909, Michilimackinac State Park was created in nearby Mackinaw City. Both of these parks, along with Dousman's Mill are under the jurisdiction of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission.
Interlochen State Park was purchased by the Michigan Legislature in 1917 and was the first public park to be transferred to the Michigan State Park Commission in 1920. Because Mackinac Island State Park was a federal gift with its own commission and jurisdiction, for those reasons some choose to not consider it the first state park even though it predates Interlochen State Park by nearly 25 years.
Since 1919, 36 additional state park units have been decommissioned for varied reasons. The majority of these former state park units, 17, were transferred to counties or cities and are still local parks today. Four of the former units were incorporated into Michigan's two National Lakeshores when were created in the 1960s and 70s, while five others were removed and reverted into surrounding state lands (state game areas, state forests, state fish hatcheries, etc.). Four of the units were incorporated into larger state recreation areas in the 1940s in the Greater Detroit area, although one of those recreation areas is now a local park. Two of the former state park units are now state forest campgrounds and another two units existed on state lands which were sold to private interests and closed. (The Former state park units section lists each of these former units.)
Additional DNR facilities
DNR operates 746 boat launches on of designated public water access sites. It also operates 16 "harbors of refuge" as well as providing support for the other 61 harbors in the system. The harbors of refuge are approximately apart along the Great Lakes shoreline to provide shelter from storms and often provide boat launches and supplies. There are 13 state underwater preserves covering of Great Lakes bottomland and ten of them have a maritime museum or interpretive center in a nearby coastal community.
The DNR Parks and Recreation Division also manages 138 state forest campgrounds (including a dozen equestrian campgrounds). The Michigan state game and wildlife areas encompass more than . DNR also oversees the trail systems in the state. This includes of non-motorized trails, of rail-trails, of off-road vehicle (ORV) routes and of snowmobile trails. Michigan state parks Name County Size Estab-lished Lake / river Image Remarks acres ha Algonac State Park St. Clair 1937 St. Clair River Rare savanna lands Aloha State Park Cheboygan 1923 Mullett Lake On the Michigan Inland Waterway Baraga State Park Baraga 1922 Lake Superior On Keweenaw Bay Bay City State Park Bay 1923 Lake Huron On Saginaw Bay Belle Isle Park Wayne 2014 Detroit River Historic island park in Detroit Bewabic State Park Iron 1966 Fortune Lake Brimley State Park Chippewa 1922 Lake Superior On Whitefish Bay Burt Lake State Park Cheboygan 1920 Burt Lake Cambridge Junction Historic State Park Lenawee 1965 -- Historic Walker Tavern Cheboygan State Park Cheboygan 1962 Lake Huron Clear Lake State Park Montmorency 1966 Clear Lake Coldwater Lake State Park Branch 1987 Coldwater Lake Craig Lake State Park Baraga 1967 Craig Lake Dodge No. 4 State Park Oakland 1922 Cass Lake Dousman's Mill Cheboygan 1978 Near Lake Huron Formerly known as Historic Mill Creek State Park and Old Mill Creek State Historic Park. Duck Lake State Park Muskegon 1974 Duck Lake Fayette Historic State Park Delta 1959 Big Bay de Noc, Lake Michigan Fisherman's Island State Park Charlevoix 1975 Lake Michigan Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Keweenaw 1923 Lake Superior Site of Copper Harbor Light Gete Mino Mshkiigan State Park Cheboygan 2013 Mullett Lake Undeveloped state park. Grand Haven State Park Ottawa 1920 Lake Michigan Grand Mere State Park Berrien 1973 Lake Michigan Harrisville State Park Alcona 1920 Lake Huron Hartwick Pines State Park Crawford 1927 East Branch Au Sable River Old-growth white and red pine forest Hayes State Park Lenawee, Jackson, Washtenaw 1920 Wamplers Lake, Round Lake Hoeft State Park Presque Isle 1920 Lake Huron Hoffmaster State Park Muskegon, Ottawa 1963 Lake Michigan Holland State Park Ottawa 1926 Lake Macatawa, Lake Michigan Indian Lake State Park Schoolcraft 1932 Indian Lake Interlochen State Park Grand Traverse 1917 Green Lake, Duck Lake First state park created under Michigan state parks system Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park Grand Traverse 1920 Lake Michigan On Grand Traverse Bay Lake Gogebic State Park Gogebic 1926 Lake Gogebic Lakeport State Park St. Clair 1938 Lake Huron Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park Alger 1946 Laughing Whitefish River Leelanau State Park Leelanau 1964 Lake Michigan Ludington State Park Mason 1927 Lake Michigan Mackinac Island State Park Mackinac 1895 Lake Huron Home to historic Fort Mackinac. Maybury State Park Wayne 1971 -- McLain State Park Houghton 1930 Lake Superior Mears State Park Oceana 1920 Lake Michigan Meridian-Baseline State Park Ingham, Jackson 1967 Shaw Branch Fort Michilimackinac State Park Emmet, Cheboygan 1904 Straits of Mackinac Includes Colonial Michilimackinac and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse Mitchell State Park Wexford 1920 Lake Mitchell, Lake Cadillac Muskallonge Lake State Park Luce 1956 Lake Superior Muskegon State Park Muskegon 1923 Lake Michigan, Muskegon Lake Negwegon State Park Alcona, Alpena 1962 Lake Huron Newaygo State Park Newaygo 1966 Hardy Dam Pond North Higgins Lake State Park Crawford 1965 Higgins Lake Old Mission State Park Grand Traverse 1989 Lake Michigan Leased to Peninsula Township and operated as Lighthouse Park Onaway State Park Presque Isle 1920 Black Lake Orchard Beach State Park Manistee 1921 Lake Michigan Otsego Lake State Park Otsego 1920 Otsego Lake Palms Book State Park Schoolcraft 1929 Kitch-iti-kipi, Indian Lake Petoskey State Park Emmet 1961 Little Traverse Bay Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Gogebic, Ontonagon 1944 Lake Superior Port Crescent State Park Huron 1955 Lake Huron Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park Sanilac 1971 Little Cass River Saugatuck Dunes State Park Allegan 1977 Lake Michigan Seven Lakes State Park Oakland 1971 Big Seven Lake Silver Lake State Park Oceana 1920 Lake Michigan, Silver Lake Includes Little Sable Point Light Sleeper State Park Huron 1924 Lake Huron Sleepy Hollow State Park Clinton 1965 Lake Ovid South Higgins Lake State Park Roscommon 1924 Higgins Lake Sterling State Park Monroe 1935 Lake Erie Straits State Park Mackinac 1924 Straits of Mackinac Includes Father Marquette National Memorial Sturgeon Point State Park Alcona 1960 Lake Michigan Tahquamenon Falls State Park Chippewa, Luce 1947 Tahquamenon River Tawas Point State Park Iosco 1960 Lake Huron Thompson's Harbor State Park Presque Isle 1988 Lake Huron Twin Lakes State Park Houghton 1964 Lake Roland Van Buren State Park Van Buren 1966 Lake Michigan Van Riper State Park Marquette 1956 Lake Michigamme Warren Dunes State Park Berrien 1930 Lake Michigan Warren Woods State Park Berrien 1949 Galien River Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve Washtenaw 2016 Watkins Lake Wells State Park Menominee 1925 Lake Michigan On Green Bay Wilderness State Park Emmet 1927 Lake Michigan William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor Wayne 2004 Detroit River Wilson State Park Clare 1920 Budd Lake Young State Park Charlevoix 1920 Lake Charlevoix
Michigan state recreation areas Name County Size Estab-lished Lake / river Image Remarks acres ha Bald Mountain State Recreation Area Oakland 1944 Lower Trout Lake, others Water Warrior Island waterpark Bass River State Recreation Area Ottawa 1994 Grand River Brighton State Recreation Area Livingston 1944 Bishop Lake, others Fort Custer State Recreation Area Kalamazoo 1971 Eagle, Jackson and Whitford-Lawler Lakes Highland State Recreation Area Oakland 1944 Haven Hill, Temple, Moore Lakes and others Holly State Recreation Area Oakland 1944 Heron, Valley, and McGinnis Lakes Ionia State Recreation Area Ionia 1965 Grand River Island Lake State Recreation Area Livingston 1944 Huron River, Island Lake Hot-air balloon launch area Lake Hudson State Recreation Area Lenawee 1979 Lake Hudson First-ever Dark-Sky Preserve designated, 1993 Lime Island State Recreation Area Chippewa 2011 St. Marys River Visitors provide own transportation to remote island; six rental cabins; Victorian House/Museum Menominee River State Recreation Area Dickinson, Menominee 2012 Menominee River Co-managed with Wisconsin's Menominee River State Park and Recreation Area Metamora-Hadley State Recreation Area Lapeer 1944 Minnewanna Lake Ortonville State Recreation Area Lapeer, Oakland 1944 Big Fish and Davison Lakes Pinckney State Recreation Area Livingston, Washtenaw 1944 Numerous inland lakes Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area Oakland 1944 Huron River, Pontiac Lake Proud Lake State Recreation Area Oakland 1944 Huron River, Proud Lake Rifle River State Recreation Area Ogemaw 1963 Rifle River Rockport State Recreation Area Alpena, Presque Isle 2012 Lake Huron Contains old limestone quarry and Besser Natural Area Tippy Dam State Recreation Area Manistee 2007 Manistee River Managed under a lease agreement with Consumers Energy. Waterloo State Recreation Area Jackson, Washtenaw 1943 Numerous inland lakes W.C. Wetzel State Recreation Area Macomb 1969 Coon Creek Yankee Springs State Recreation Area Barry 1943 Gun Lake
Michigan trail state parks The following state trails are units of the State Park System. Several other state trails fall under Department of Natural Resources jurisdiction and/or maintenance, but are not state park units and are not included here.
Name Official name Counties Length Estab- lished Image Remarks mi km Hart-Montague Trail State Park William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail State Park Muskegon, Oceana 1988 Converted rail-trail Kal-Haven Trail Kal-Haven Bicycle Trail Sesquicentennial State Park Kalamazoo, Van Buren 1988 Converted rail-trail Lakelands Trail State Park Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park Ingham, Livingston, Washtenaw 1991 Converted rail-trail Van Buren Trail State Park Van Buren 1994 Converted rail-trail White Pine Trail State Park Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola, Wexford 1996 Converted rail-trail
Michigan state scenic sites State Scenic Sites are, in essence, miniature state parks with limited facilities and administered by other nearby state parks. Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park was formerly a State Scenic Site, but has since been upgraded to full state park status.