There's a reason Michigan state parks—and their national park, lakeshore, and recreation area siblings—are so popular when the weather warms up. To imagine the perfect Midwestern summer is to imagine hiking under a canopy of pines, skipping rocks across sparkling blue lakes, and craning your neck skyward with the hope of seeing a shooting star. In other words: everything that makes Michigan’s five national parks and 103 state parks and recreation areas so special.
In the Wolverine State, visitors are never more than 85 miles from a Great Lake; the state borders four of them (Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie) in addition to 11,000 inland lakes. A host of other outdoorsy draws, including undulating sand dunes and towering rock formations that’ll knock your jaw to the ground, keep Michiganders and travelers in the know busy all summer long. To experience the best of the state’s greenspaces, pick up an annual Recreation Passport ($13 for Michigan-registered vehicles and $39 for non-Michigan-registered vehicles) as well as an America the Beautiful pass ($80) for access to federal lands—and then bookmark this list for future adventures.
Bay City State Park
Bay City is one of the Wolverine State’s more progressive and inclusive parks, offering electric vehicle charging stations and an accessible fishing pier and trails. The paths range in length from 1.35 to 3.3 miles, with multiple wheelchair-friendly viewing platforms. Tobico Marsh, one of the last freshwater coastal wetlands on the Great Lakes, is particularly photogenic, with two four-story observation towers for nailing that perfect shot. If you want to try your hand at fishing, the Tobico Lagoon is loaded with carp, bass, pike, and panfish. For children, there's the “Play by The Bay" accessible playground featuring decorative cattails, mushroom stepping stones, acorn-shaped seats, and realistic-looking rock walls and logs. Don’t forget to stop by the ranger station to borrow an “explorer pack” stuffed with a compass, binoculars, and other tools for outdoor learning.
Belle Isle Park
It’s the crown jewel of Detroit, and with good reason: The 982-acre island park on the Detroit River has many draws for families, including the oldest aquarium in the U.S., an exotic plant conservatory, a neoclassical fountain that shoots water 125 feet into the air, a nature center with live deer encounters, and a 30-bay golf range. The park wrapped up Phase I of its new Ralph Wilson Gateway and Trail, an off-road path suitable for hikers and bicyclists, last year. One World … Under Michigan Stars, a stunning glass-and-steel sculpture designed by Erik and Israel Nordin, the brothers and co-owners behind the Detroit Design Center, marks the entrance. Construction on Phase II is underway; once complete, the six-mile route will serve as the southern trailhead for the 2,000-mile Iron Belle Trail, the longest state-designated trail in the nation. The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is also closed to the public for a $10 million renovation project, although the outdoor gardens are expected to reopen later this summer. (The conservatory’s new indoor showrooms are slated to debut in summer 2024.)
Isle Royale National Park
This rugged and remote archipelago in Lake Superior is one of the least visited national parks in the country—in part because visitors have to take a ferry or seaplane to get there. (It’s closed from November 1 to April 15, which doesn’t help either.) Because no wheeled vehicles or other devices are allowed in the park, the options for transportation once you land include kayak, canoe, or your own two feet. Overnights in Isle Royale are done backcountry camping-style or you can reserve a coveted lakeside cottage or cabin via Rock Harbor Lodge. The park comprises more than 400 islands, the largest of which is Isle Royale at 50 miles long and nine miles wide. With steep headlands and ever-changing trail conditions, the 32.1-mile Minong Ridge Trail is the most primitive route for experienced backpackers. Less ambitious hikers can pick up a leg as well; the first portion, from McCargoe Cove to Todd Harbor, is just 6.7 miles and considered the least difficult. (Keep your eyes peeled for Canada along the cairn-marked route.) Isle Royale is also known for its shipwrecks—10 in 70 years, including the SS Algoma, a 19th-century passenger steamer that split in half after sinking. Parts of the stern, sitting on the lake bottom, are all that remain.
Menominee River Recreation Area
If it’s Class II and III rapids you’re after, look no further than this 17-mile leg of undeveloped river straddling the Michigan-Wisconsin border known as Menominee River Recreation Area. Kosir's Rapid Rafts, True North Outpost, and Wildman Adventure Resort in Dickinson County organize whitewater rafting trips through the 9,767-acre park, which is situated an hour north of Green Bay on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. For visitors who prefer to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground, the rocky gorges make for excellent hiking and mountain biking. (The 2.5-mile, out-and-back Piers Gorge trail lucked out in the scenic overlook department.) The rec area is a go-to for birdwatchers, too, rewarding patient enthusiasts with spectacular sightings of bald eagles and osprey.
Negwegon State Park
Total solitude. That’s what you will find in the 4,130 untamed acreage at this rustic park on Lake Heron, perched at the southernmost tip of Thunder Bay. Negwegon State Park is so isolated, in fact, it’s been designated one of six Dark Sky Preserves in the state, making it a terrific pick for serious stargazers. (Note: Negwegon has no park services, but backcountry camping by reservation is permitted at one of four hike- or paddle-in campsites and a 4WD vehicle is needed to navigate the two-track roads.) The park is also unique because it encompasses four distinct topographical zones, treating its intrepid visitors to bogs, dunes, meadows, aspen forest, and the kind of broad sandy beach that would be all over Instagram if more people knew about it.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Thundering waterfalls, historic lighthouses, unparalleled leaf peeping—no wonder Pictured Rocks is one of the most touristed sites in Michigan. Many visitors take in its majestic beauty via a 2.5-hour narrated boat tour, but a more intimate—if challenging—way to experience the wind-sculpted cliffs and Caribbean blue shallows of Lake Superior is by kayak. The name “Pictured Rocks” comes from the iron, copper, manganese, and limonite mineral deposits that streak its craggy sandstone bluffs, the most colorful of which sit east of Miners Beach. The park also offers 42 miles of unspoiled shoreline (including 12 miles of beaches), wheelchair-accessible interpretive trails (we like the half-mile Marsh Trail for turtle spotting, and the 10.4-mile Chapel Loop for waterfalls and wildflowers), and enormous, climbable sand dunes (the tallest of which scrapes the sky at 300 feet). The storied park even has shipwrecks—though you can only see those by suiting up in scuba gear or booking a tour on a glass-bottom boat.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
The second largest of Michigan's state parks covers 50,000 acres near Paradise in the Upper Peninsula. Its namesake waterfall is 50 feet tall and 200 feet wide, making it one of the most magnificent cascades east of the Mississippi River. The Upper Falls is accessible via a half-mile paved walkway and a new bridge that stretches to a previously unreachable river island. To get to the Lower Falls, four miles downstream, rent a rowboat from the park’s concession stand. With more than a dozen inland lakes and an abundant supply of muskies, smallmouth bass, and northern pike, the fishing at Tahquamenon is bar none. Ditto wildlife viewing: Watch for close encounters with moose, black bear, otters, mink, and more than 125 species of nesting birds.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Nearly 2 million visitors flock to Sleeping Bear every year, mostly to see the 71,187-acre park’s most prominent habitat—its titular dunes, of course. The undulating sand forms immense ridges and valleys atop glacial moraines bluffs. The tallest peak rises 400 feet above piercing blue Lake Michigan—high enough for a hang glider to take off. Scrambling up the dunes is great fun, but quite strenuous, especially in the midday sun; a roundtrip tour takes up to four hours. If you don’t have that kind of time or energy to spare, sneak in a photo break near the base when navigating the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a 7.4-mile route boasting unforgettable views of a Hallmark movie-worthy covered bridge and glittering Glen Lake.
William C. Sterling State Park
Michigan’s only park on Lake Erie is located in Monroe, 40 minutes south of Detroit and 25 minutes north of Toledo, Ohio. Anglers come to William C. Sterling to fish for walleye; hikers and birders tackle the six-mile Sterling-Marsh Trail; while families are content to laze around on the park’s mile-long beach or splash in one of its three placid lagoons. Sterling has long been a popular spot for lakefront camping, but the 1,300-acre park recently introduced its first permanent lodging: 10 modest waterfront cottages with full-size kitchens and fire pits. Most units sleep up to seven guests, but don’t dilly dally; these reservations book up fast.
Interlochen State Park
Situated conveniently between pristine Green Lake and Duck Lake, just 15 miles from Traverse City, this 187-acre park is intrinsically linked to the Interlochen Center for the Arts, a renowned arts camp, academy, and artist’s retreat adjoining the park’s northern boundary. The center hosts hundreds of events throughout the year, including a popular summer concert series, but visitors also come to Interlochen to fish, swim, picnic, stroll shady wooded trails, partake in summer’s weekly naturalist programs, throw a tent up in one of five campgrounds, and dip a toe into kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding.
Holly Recreation Area
Clocking in at 8,000-plus acres, this vast recreational area is less than an hour's drive from the Detroit metro. Its open fields and sweeping woodlands tempt anglers, hikers, mountain bikers, and even disc golfers. But perhaps no one loves Holly as much as kids, who swarm the WhoaZone water park at Heron Beach. Its floating Wibit obstacle course is a great challenge for swimmers ages 7 and up, and there’s a special KidsZone for the 4- to 6-year-old set. And for the exhausted parents, a big sandy beach with shaded lounge chairs and a concession stand serving nachos, slushies, and other beach day indulgences. (Additional entrance fees apply.)
Mackinac Island State Park
Established in 1895, this charming escape on Lake Huron was Michigan’s first state park. Now more than 125 years old, its spectacular overlooks and mind-boggling rock formations are impressive as ever, and the park is easily accessible via ferry connections from St. Ignace in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Mackinaw City on the Lower. Mackinac Island has 70.5 miles of signed roads and trails, some shared by horses, bicycles, and walkers (automobiles were banned here in 1898) and others suitable for hikers only. A 20-minute nature walk along the British Landing Nature Trail introduces visitors to the isle’s flora and fauna and stops at Friendship’s Altar, one of Mackinac’s best-known geological formations. The 8-mile Lake Shore Boulevard (M-185), meanwhile, is a bikers’ paradise: it’s the only state highway that bans cars. Other highlights include the 14-building colonial fort, historic lighthouse, and an art museum showcasing Mackinac-related works.
Lake Hudson Recreation Area
Located in southern Michigan near the Ohio border, this 2,796-acre outdoor playground has a lot going for it: a no-wake lake and sizable swimming area, some of the best muskie and walleye fishing in the state, and exceptional stargazing opportunities. A designated Dark Sky Preserve, Lake Hudson has a rustic campground as well as a new tiny house (the four-person Bear Creek Cabin), now bookable online. Geocaching, metal detecting, and birdwatching are also popular pastimes here, as is paddling the picturesque five-mile Lake Hudson loop trail.
