State parks are a Michigan treasure

Posted by Bill on Monday, April 21, 2008   |   No Comments

As soon as the weather begins to warm and the days grow longer, a good many of us begin to limber up the camping gear for another season. As residents of Michigan, we enjoy many blessings when it comes to travel and outdoor recreation. For starters, Michigan is geographically unique with more than 3,000 miles of coastline along four of the five Great Lakes. To that remarkable asset you can add our countless inland lakes, rivers and diverse terrain.

Our state’s network of parks, campgrounds and trails—several along abandoned railroad rights of way—give us a simple and convenient way to access these resource. In fact, according to Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), “You are never more than half an hour from a Michigan state park, state forest campground, state recreation area or state trail system.” Getting connected is as easy as www.michigan.gov/dnr.

I am a longtime advocate of exploring the treasures we have right under our noses, and this may be the year when that becomes a practical requirement as well as a good idea. With gas prices fluttering around the $3.50 per gallon range and rumors about an unthinkable $4.00 per gallon, 2008 may well become the year to explore the state park system like never before. If your exposure to state parks has been limited or sporadic, you will find there’s much to discover . . . and enjoy.

Michigan’s 100 state parks are as different as they are delightful. Campers will find that most of Michigan’s state parks have electricity and water hookups and plenty of elbow room. Our state’s more than 14,000 state park campsites are why Michigan ranks number one in the nation for the number of camping sites and overnight stays.

The state park system was born in 1895 with the creation of the Mackinaw Island State Park. A few years later, Governor Albert Sleeper launched the Michigan State Park Commission. In 1921, this entity became the Department of Conservation, which was later reorganized into the DNR. The first Superintendent was P.J. Hoffmaster, and the department honored his service by naming a state park in his honor.

Today, the DNR operates a system of beautiful state parks which annually welcomes more than 25 million visitors—most squeezed into the three-month window of June to August. There is so much information available about Michigan’s state parks, both in print and online, that it’s almost confusing. You can find all you need about pricing, permits and reservations here. You can also make campground reservations by calling 1-800-44-PARKS. If you want good overviews of state parks, check here. Actually, you can check out state parks for every state at this site. It’s a great resource.

“Nowhere in Michigan are you more than an hour’s drive from a state park.” So says the DNR. I’m thinking not many states can make such a claim. So maybe this year will be when you put that promise to the test. With gasoline prices high and heading higher, there’s no time like the present to discover one of the greatest privileges of Michigan citizenship—our extraordinary state park system.

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