Tahquamenon Falls State Park has almost 50,000 acres, over 13 miles. Did you know that the Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. A maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls. (For more information on the falls, read here on Pure Michigan!)
Tahquamenon Falls State Park is open year round and is incredibly beautiful to visit any time of the year!
There are a six trails that are perfect any level hiker. The shortest hike is just .50 miles, while the longest hike is 7 miles. If it’s winter, you can cross country ski or snowshoe on the trails, but in the other seasons, they are beautiful for hiking!
Petoskey State Park is located right on Lake Michigan and is situated between Petoskey and Harbor Springs on over 300 acres. This is such an easy and beautiful state park to visit! In the summertime, there is a beautiful beach area with plenty of room to stretch out and get some sunshine!
Petoskey-Old Baldy Trail is a beautiful trail that overlooks Little Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan. It is beautiful in the summer, but also in the winter!
While there aren’t many trails at Petoskey State Park, it is a beautiful spot to set up camp and then hop on the Little Traverse Wheelway to head either to Downtown Petoskey or Downtown Harbor Springs!
Straits State Park is located on Lake Huron and has over 150 acres, with views of the Mackinac Bridge. The Straits- Main Hiking Trail is just 1 mile long, offering wonderful views of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. The Straits State Park is located in the Upper Peninsula, in St. Ignace!
Wilderness State Park is located outside of Mackinaw City, and is actually a Dark Sky Park! We wrote a blog post about that here. It is a HUGE state park, with approximately 10512 acres! It offers quite a few trails, with them ranging from .25 miles to 5.5 miles!
Mackinac Island State Park we talk about the Mackinac Island State Park a lot, obviously! Did you know that Mackinac Island State Park was Michigan’s first state park? Before it was a state park, it was a national park - being the nation’s second national park! It has over 70 miles of trails that you can explore by bike, horseback or foot! It’s obviously our favorite state park!
We are SO excited that spring is in the air and we can’t wait to get out and explore! Tell us, what state park are you planning on exploring first this spring?