A hidden oasis with lots of potential! I recently visited on a weekday in late July and despite the…read morerain, there wasn't too much mud to wade through. We had been planning on playing the 9-basket disc golf course when we got to MI, knowing that it was a very low rating on DGCR, but were pleasantly surprised. I am happy to say I've been here, done that, but probably a one-time visit for me. From the pictures, you can see it's obviously a lush and clean park with dozens of activities available for children and adults. Most of these installments are a little run down, even in the middle of summer tourism, particularly the markers that tell you where the tee is (some are in pieces, some are plain missing). Luckily, we had enough service to search it up on a dedicated disc golf site and were well on our way. Main upsides include a clean bathroom, picnic and barbecue area, visible baskets, and beautiful landscaping. Downsides? The overgrowth around the edges of the park, where all 9 tees are situated. I lost my favorite disc in the 8ft shrubs, and some tees were completely in the shrubs. Also, this park was a little difficult to find as there aren't signs for it (unless you're coming up one particular path). So after an afternoon of walking the paths to Arch Rock and Fort Holmes, we struggled to get here without the help of a sometimes spotty Google Maps. Pro tip: download the Google Map of the island before you go walking.

It's cool that mak island put a disc golf park on the island, I have to say that I was so totally…read morestoked to bring my discs. With Michigans wide range and disparate landscapes, I was sure I was gonna get some sweet terrain to challenge my disc golf savvy. What I got at great turtle park was a bit disappointing. This park is good for your mid range or putter but it is flat. I would say you could probably make all the shots without having to bust out the driver, with maybe the exception of one hole. The baskets are not cemented into the ground, there is no tee off sign for any of the pins, and there aren't platforms. Rather, kitchen tiles mark the starting points for all the holes. These disappointments for a serious disc golf fan, make the park a three. The park itself is gorgeous and in the middle to high park of the island away from most of the tourism and people, so that's worth a few stars. Overall, however, the disc golf part of the park really soured my experience as it seemed like an afterthought. I rated this park three stars because: 1star: bathroom on premises. Nice. 1star: park itself is a cool spot, away from tourists. Good family/community area. 1star: disc golf here. Something's better than nothing. 0star: disc golf course missing tee signs and platforms, baskets are free standing, showing the non-commital nature of whoever put them in. 0star: hole nine missing tile that tells you where to start, all disc golf baskets within sight of the starting point, no sweet Michigan terrain involved, flat course.

We visited Hoeft State Park for the first time last weekend. It wasn't our favorite state park we…read morehave visited but it was still very nice. The sites are very small and they are not very level. We were on site 72 and we had to move our tent three different times to get it staked into the ground. The site was very unlevel and rocky. There are a handful of nice sites throughout the park but it felt very crowded because the sites are so small and everyone is so close together. They do have a bathhouse with showers and toilets. They do not have an updated shower house but it did the job. The staff were very friendly. It was a quiet park because it is so secluded. It is right along the shore of Lake Huron. There is beach access. The water was warm in mid July. The cell service is spotty if you have AT&T. I don't think we would camp here again but we were glad to visit and check it off our list!

Once we visited this park, we had officially visited all 5 Great Lakes…read more.. ...And this park immediately made Huron one of our favorites. The water is so pretty and clean! I grew up on Lake Erie and lived on Lake Ontario for a little while, so I'm not used to seeing such bright blue-green water at a Great Lake. (Erie & Ontario are very brown) Aside from a perfect Lake Huron experience, this is just a nice park in general. Plenty of places for kids to play (including playgrounds), hiking trails, and other activities. All the facilities are in acceptable conditions and there weren't very many people there when we were, which made it feel like we had the park to ourselves (on a Sunday!)... There is a fee to get in. The ranger told us we could pay $9 and have access to ALL Michigan state parks, which of course we did.

I love this place. And hesitate making it more known. But this place, even with the summer crowds…read moreis extremely peaceful and soul feeding place. It's beautiful and relaxing. I've had my kids get their senior photos taken here. It's out of the way, but it's so beautiful, it's a place you have to go to. Historical information, the falls are one of the key locations that the lamprey were discovered to be in the Great Lakes and a great deal of research still takes place within a few miles of this location.

Fun place to explore and very beautiful. You don't have to walk that far to get to the falls.read more

Cute park and nature preserve area…read more Stopped by on the way up north. It was a good spot to take a second and stretch after getting out of the car. It's pretty and well-maintained, no littering and very quiet. We didn't stay too long, but I want to stop by again during our next up north adventure. It's in a nice area, not too tourist trap-ish.

There are a lot of people here with coolers and chairs all set up on a Saturday night watching the…read morebridge. There is a truck show and the truckers are all gonna come through with their lights on and put on a show going over the bridge soon. We're here to watch.

This park is the best spot to view the famous Mackinac Bridge from the Upper Peninsula. The park is…read moreoutside the toll area so you can stop here, do your viewing, hang out and if you're not headed to the Lower Peninsula, head onwards. The park has a visitors center that includes lots of information on the construction of the bridge, how it was done and such. There is also a video on loop. There are restrooms, too. Plenty of parking and lots of room for larger vehicles, too. Please take a moment to pay your respects at the Bridge Memorial that is dedicated to the five men who lost their lives in the construction of the bridge and since who were working on it. We are on the Lake Michigan side of the bridge - the other side is Lake Huron. If you want to dip your feet in the cold water, you can do that here. Look out for the extremely aggressive seagulls and PLEASE DON'T FEED THEM! You're not helping. [Review 17930 overall - 333 in Michigan - 1451 of 2022.]

When ever I'm in Gaylord, I like to stop into the Elk Park. Throughout the year, you can see the…read moreanimals at different stages. It's especially nice to see newborn animals and watch them grow throughout the year.

Spend hours driving the backroads looking for elk? Following the herd with the DNR? Yet you still…read morecan't find them! Well just roll up to the elk park and stop wasting gas! Nestled between the municipal building, commercial shopping and condo apartment areas is the Gaylord Elk Park! Large herd, food area right near parking and some benches if you want to hang out! My son loved seeing the elk! Snapped a few shots- hard to get good ones through the fence and it was freezing outside.

I came here for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and will be returning in September. This is…read morean absolutely beautiful dark sky park with spectacular views. The park offers various educational programs and experiences throughout the months, has a unique gift shop (the staff was great as well), and has several walking trails to enjoy. I love that you can learn on your walk by reading the various signs posted. It would be fun if they did an educational scavenger hunt on their educational trail, as that would be a fun way to learn. I look forward to visiting again in another month!

It's just a short drive from Mackinaw City and this place has been on our bucket list for a few…read moreyears. The place is nice but it is not exactly what we were expecting. The path is well marked with red lights (no white lights allowed). They do have bathrooms there too. It just felt a little underwhelming and over populated (and we went on a cold fall night). Some people were packing in wagons and had flashlights which was annoying since the white light ruins your eyes when they are adjusted to the dark.

"(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun (Under the boardwalk)…read morewe'll be havin' some fun" (The Drifters) The Huron Boardwalk has a sweet location -right on the downtown riverfront and linking museums, a park, shops and restaurants. It's less than a half mile long, but it's packed with some very cool sights. It was very calm and picturesque as we strolled along the shore with views of Mackinac Island, the ferry boats, picnic tables, a few historical monuments, and a sundial where your shadow tells the time of day. The highlight was the impressive Chief Wawatam Lighthouse, accessed by walking down a pier from the main boardwalk. Plenty of great photo ops are everywhere.

We accessed the lighthouse through the Huron Boardwalk right next to the Wawatam Park. The park has…read morebeautiful flowers, benches, sundial and a bell to ring. The lighthouse is very photogenic and does not take a bad picture. It is still a working lighthouse. Large parking lots near and less than 3/10 mile walk to the lighthouse. Definitely worth a stop of your in the area.