Ludington State Park

Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park
Location within the state of Michigan
Location	Lower Peninsula, Mason County, Michigan USA
Nearest city	Ludington, Michigan
Coordinates	44°02′28″N 86°30′15″W / 44.04121°N 86.50429°W / 44.04121; -86.50429Coordinates: 44°02′28″N 86°30′15″W / 44.04121°N 86.50429°W / 44.04121; -86.50429
Area	5,300 acres (2,100 ha)
Governing body	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=468&type=SPRK

Big Sable Point Lighthouse

Hamlin Lake

Hamlin Lake Dam

Ludington State Park hiking trails

Ludington State Park is a state park located just north of Ludington, Michigan between the shores of Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake. The park encompasses nearly 5,300 acres (2,100 ha) and contains several ecosystems, including: forests, sand dunes, a dam, a Great Lake, and a river.

Big Sable Point Lighthouse

Ludington State Park is home to Big Sable Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was first lit in 1876 and stands 112 feet (34 m) high. It can be visited from the beginning of May through the end of October. Visitors must walk 2 miles (3.2 km) on the sandy beach to reach it, though there is limited bus transportation on certain days throughout the season. Visitors can tour the lighthouse for a small donation.

Hamlin Lake

Hamlin Lake is an artificial lake created by the backup of the Big Sable River by the Hamlin Lake Dam. The lake, which covers 4,990 acres (20.2 km²), is five miles long and two miles wide. It has two sections, the upper and lower lakes, which are separated by the narrows. The lake is great for swimming during summer months as it is typically much warmer than Lake Michigan and has a smaller swimming area, making it easier to keep track of family and friends. Park visitors can rent a variety of boats at this location and many of the park's trails (including a canoe trail) begin and end here. During the winter season, ice fishing is popular.

Big Sable River

Big Sable River is the primary river that runs through the park. The park's portion of the river begins at Hamlin Lake Dam, the dam that created Hamlin Lake, and ends at Lake Michigan. The primary road that runs through the park runs alongside the full length of this portion of the river. During the summer months, Big Sable River can often be seen with groups of people floating down current in inner tubes. The river is home to otters and many fish. In 2005, the park made an effort to replenish the salmon population by creating cages for the fish to grow in and then releasing them when they were able to live on their own.

Camping

Ludington State Park has four campgrounds—Pines, Cedars, Jack Pine Hike-in, and Beechwood—containing a total of 352 campsites. Each campground also contains one mini-cabin. In addition, there are ten campsites within the remote Jack Pine camping area set aside for backpack hikers. All the campsites at Ludington State Park require a reservation and reservations typically fill up about 6 months before any given date. Campers sometimes secure campsites less than 6 months in advance by checking the reservation system frequently until a vacancy opens.^[1]

Pines

The first campground located in the park, Pines, contains 99 campsites, making it the smallest in the park. It is located just inside the park entrance. The walk to the beach and the restaurant on the beach are mere minutes from any campsite in the area.

Cedars

Cedars is the second campground in the park. It contains 106 campsites and is located about 1/3 the way into the park. Cedars is home to the camp store, which sells T-shirts, food, camping equipment, firewood, ice cream and miscellaneous goods. It also rents out bicycles to use within the park. Cedars is the closest campground to the nature center and the Skyline Trail, a popular short walk along a ridge.

Jack Pine hike-in

Jack Pine is a hike-in only rustic campground with 10 campsites, away from most park developments. It is about 0.75 mile north of Pine Campground on the unpaved road to the Lighthouse.

Beechwood

Beechwood is the largest campground in Ludington State Park with 147 campsites. It is located about 3/4 of the way into the park and is split into two sections, with the top section being far smaller than the section at the bottom of a high hill.

Beechwood is the most popular campground in the park for several reasons. It is more secluded than the others as it sits off on its own, away from popular tourist areas and other campgrounds. It has the most campsites ready for tents to be set up. It is also one of the best areas in the park for recreation. Several trails run through or near this campground, including the Lost Lake Trail, which guides hikers around the nearby Hamlin Lake. There is a playground and small pond nearby. Small church services are conducted every Sunday morning.

Beechwood was renovated somewhat recently and received several benefits. It now contains the majority of the park's boardwalks where people can fish, walk, and relax. The boardwalks also connect the campground to its own private, though very small, island.

Park recreation

Ludington State Park is home to several bike and hiking trails that vary in difficulty. Hiking trails are generally very well marked but a map from the park rangers' station will come in handy. There are 21.5 miles of hiking trail, 10 miles of cross-country ski trails, a 2-mile bicycle trail and a 4-mile canoe trail. There is plenty of fishing to be done at Hamlin Lake, Big Sable River, and Lake Michigan. The park also contains a nature center that highlights the park's wildlife and natural habitat. Tubing down Big Sable River and swimming in Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan are encouraged during the summer months.

Other park amenities

The Beach Cafe is located right on the shores of Lake Michigan. It is the only restaurant located within the park and has stunning views of Lake Michigan and the beach. The cafe also has an attached gift shop, as well as a changing/locker room in the basement for those who would like to swim in Lake Michigan.

Gallery of pictures

Big Sable Point Lighthouse
Ludington Beach House
Ludington State Park in fall
Ludington State Park shelter along hiking trail

References

↑ Campthat, Ludington Beechwood (June 2013)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ludington State Park.

Ludington State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Ludington State Park Protected Planet (World Database on Protected Areas)
Hamlin Lake
Ludington State Park video
Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association

Protected areas of Michigan

See also: Important Bird Areas of Michigan

National

Parks	Isle Royale Keweenaw (Historical) River Raisin (Battlefield)

Lakeshores	Pictured Rocks Sleeping Bear Dunes

Landmarks	Black Spruce Bog Natural Area Dead Stream Swamp Dukes Research Natural Area Grand Mere Lakes Haven Hill State Natural Area Newton Woods Porcupine Mountains Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand Strangmoor Bog Tobico Marsh Toumey Woods Warren Woods State Park

Forests	Hiawatha Huron-Manistee Ottawa

Wildlife Refuges	Detroit River Harbor Island Huron Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area Michigan Islands Michigan Wetland Management District Seney Shiawassee

Other	Grand Island National Recreation Area Father Marquette National Memorial Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

State

Parks	Algonac Aloha Baraga Belle Isle Bewabic Brimley Burt Lake Cambridge Junction Cheboygan Clear Lake Coldwater Lake Craig Lake Dodge #4 Duck Lake Fayette Fisherman's Island Fort Michilimackinac Fort Wilkins Grand Haven Grand Mere Harrisville Hart-Montague Trail Hartwick Pines Hayes Mill Creek P.H. Hoeft P.J. Hoffmaster Holland Indian Lake Interlochen Kal-Haven Trail Lake Gogebic Lakelands Trail Lakeport Leelanau Ludington Mackinac Island Maybury F.J. McLain Mears Meridian-Baseline Mitchell Muskallonge Lake Muskegon Negwegon Newaygo North Higgins Lake Onaway Orchard Beach Otsego Lake Palms Book Petoskey Porcupine Mountains Port Crescent Rockport Sanilac Petroglyphs Saugatuck Dunes Seven Lakes Silver Lake Sleeper Sleepy Hollow South Higgins Lake Sterling Straits Tahquamenon Falls Tawas Point Thompson's Harbor Traverse City Twin Lakes Van Buren Van Buren Trail Van Riper Warren Dunes Warren Woods Wells White Pine Trail Wilderness William G. Milliken Wilson Young

Recreation Areas	Bald Mountain Bass River Bay City Brighton Fort Custer Highland Holly Ionia Island Lake Lake Hudson Menominee River Metamora-Hadley Ortonville Pinckney Pontiac Lake Proud Lake Rifle River Waterloo Wetzel Yankee Springs

Forests	Au Sable Copper Country Escanaba River Lake Superior Mackinaw Pere Marquette

Underwater Preserves	Alger De Tour Passage Grand Traverse Bay Keweenau Manitou Passage Marquette Sanilac Shores Southwest Michigan Straits of Mackinac Thumb Area Whitefish Point

Other (inc. game areas)	Agate Falls Scenic Site Allegan State Game Area Bond Falls Scenic Site Laughing Whitefish Falls Scenic Site Michigan Islands Wilderness Area Pointe Mouillee State Game Area Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center Sturgeon Point Scenic Site Wagner Falls Scenic Site

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, December 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.