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.)
