What a great park…read more Clean, easy access and nicely space out. Amenities include rest rooms, three shelters, playground, BBQ grills, volley ball courts, soccer field, horseshoe pits, a small board walk and fishing area. I went here to drop in on one of the free summer concert series events and they were raffling out prizes including local restaurant meals and a few bikes for kids!

Rosy Mound Natural Area's dunes, forested trails, and shoreline views were stunning!…read more Pulling in there is small parking lot, restrooms, and pay station kiosk for the $8 daily permit. The 2.2 mile trail starts at the parking lot leading you through the woods right to Lake Michigan's shoreline. The trail consist of dirt, dune, and board walk paths with a total of 360 stairs; so get those quads ready! Thankfully there are lots of shaded places to stop and rest with benches along the paths and between flights of stairs. Note to mention: This is a no pet area so keep your furry friends at home! Would definitely recommend Rosy Mound if you're up for a short hike and want to enjoy a breathtaking shoreline view or beach at the end.

Beautiful hike to the beach!…read more The trailhead starts in a parking lot, weaving through the woods. You go up stairs to a dunes overlook and you can continue to follow the trail down to the beach. The beach and the sand dunes are beautiful, especially at sunset. There are bathrooms at the beginning of the trail and near the beach.

This beach is operated by Ottawa County. During the summer months, you are required to pay to…read morepark. They probably have room for 100 cars. You can get an annual tag from the county. A Michigan state park tag will not work. Weekends the lot can fill up. In that case you can park for free less than a mile down the road at Coast Guard Park, or even Fire Barn Park for that matter. If you're going to do that, drop off your family and friends along with your beach supplies at the entrance. That way only one of you have to walk back and forth. They have a nice wide asphalt path. Good excersise plus you saved about $8. Park no longer allows dogs, no alcohol either. They have a nice pavillion that sometimes get reserved in the summer. There are grills and picnic tables too, but not many. There are outdoor showers and feet washing stations and a convenient bathroom. But last time I was here, the beach has been extended way out. So if you are on the water with you blanket and umbrella, it is quite a hike to the johns. This is a good family beach too with the playground. Downside to some may be there are no touristy shops that you can walk to like Grand Haven SP. But to me, that is blessing. Not a whole lot of teenagers come here and never been any fights break out like they have at GH. I hope this beach stays how it is and the county doesn't try to commercialize it.

Nice Park - easy to get to, good amount of parking, nice pavilion, the sand was nice, fountains to…read morewash your feet, good amount of space on the sand. First time here - The bugs today were outrageous. These little flies were unbearable and therefore didn't stay long.

What a find. This is definitely a neighborhood park. Public Boat launch, dog park, basketball…read morecourt, baseball field, playground, board walk, nature, restroom and hopping. We saw so many families come and go in the short time it took us to grill and chill it would have made your head snap. Lots of people with cameras, and children on the boardwalk. Wishing the restrooms worked or they would have had a port a jon. Regardless such a great find and an amazing tailgate by my man JMAC

Beautiful beach! We…read morecame on a windy May weekend to explore. Parking was easy and we were able to walk down the beach to the pier with the lighthouse. We passed several bathrooms along the way. Plus a campground right on the beach.

Nothing but good vibes and experience at Grand Haven State Park. Yes there are large multiple…read moreparking lots that are able to hold a ton of people so on a nice day expect this place to be PACKED. You get in with a park pass or you pay the entrance fee. We have the park pass on our license plate so access was a breeze. There are restrooms, RV camp sites and handicap Mats from the parking lot to the beach. Love the walks on the pier to watch the boats come in or the sunset. Always a good time. Plus the surrounding area has small shops and restaurants so you can make it a day.

Absolutely stunning. This park is another reminder of why we need to invest time, energy, and funds…read moreinto our natural resources. I could spend all day here wandering the trails and walking the beach. I plan to reserve a campsite in their beautiful campground sometime this summer.

Definitely worth the drive to see lake Michigan and the Sand dunes. There is a beautiful boardwalks…read morenext to the visitor center that you can take directly to the dunes. It's a wooden walkway, with a ton of shade from the trees, that takes you through the forest directly to the dunes. The visitor center was closed for remodel when we were there so we could not go inside to enjoy the displays on this trip so I am looking forward to the upgrades.

Didn't know this place was even here until someone told me about it the other day. I stopped by…read morewith the pooch last night and was thrilled to know there was a place where my little guy could run and play. Located on the East End of town, the dog park was a little tricky for me to find out how to get to it. Not being from here originally, I'm not quite familiar with everything. I figured it out though by entering the park off Franklin and driving towards the boat ramp. The entrance to the dog park is right next to the boat ramp. Separate areas for small and large dogs, although while I was there, the small dog area (which is also smaller in size) was the only area with dogs in them.. and they were larger dogs. My guy will play with anyone though and he was happy to have someone to play with. Great little free park and I'm sure I'll be back quite often.

This is a nice dog park that has separate areas for both big and small dogs. It's located on the…read moreriver by the boat launch, so it's scenic. However it's also located right next to the sewer treatment plant, so if there's a stiff wind, watch out! The large-dog area is HUGE and has a nice rolling hill for dogs to run over. It doesn't have water stations like other parks in the area, but just outside of the fenced area there is a dog water station. It could use a bench or two for seating, but it's nicely maintained and a spacious spot for dogs to burn through their energy. I would recommend visiting!

Right on the water with games. Again another location with cement corn hole, cement ping pong and…read morewood foosball tables. So bring your own balls or bags if you want to play. All the big boats are down this way and the pere Marquette train can be found down here. 25mph streets, tight parking and lots of people watching.

chinook pier is such a gem in grand haven! the best thing about it? the putt putt course, hands…read moredown. it's so much fun, and honestly, they should never get rid of it--it's a classic! i look forward to playing putt putt there every single year. it's the perfect mix of nostalgia and summer fun. don't change a thing, chinook pier!

This is a hidden gem for nature lovers. A fairly new park that conserves nature and lets one…read moreenjoy the beauty of the untouched outdoors. There are a variety of hiking trails, some are a bit rugged and some trails aren't marked very well. But that is the beauty of this park. It is a great way to get away from the noise and commercialization of downtown Grand Haven. It is so quiet too. Except for some distant industrial noise, you will only hear the sound of nature. This is not a place you would want to bring a group of screaming kids....there is no playground, no swing set. You don't throw a frisbee or football around and there is no baseball diamond or picnic table. Go directly across the street to Coast Guard Park if you want to grill a hamburger or let the dog run loose or let kids run around. There is no camping or fishing here either. If you want that activity, go over the Grand Haven State Park. Swimming is not allowed either, but go down the road to the beach if that is your thing. But if you want to get away from the noise, the rowdy campers, the money-grab you will find near the Musical Fountain....this is your peaceful and pristine oasis. I just hope that it doesn't become commercialized like so many other parks in this county have.

Be warned - scenic beaches next to historic landmarks coupled with a campground within a state park…read moreon a summer afternoon, can be a handful. And the Grand Haven State Park is all that. The state park/beach is right next to the campground, which also accepts RVs so parking here can be tricky in summer --- which is when we visited. Plus there is a fee. The lighthouse/pier is very cool, but it is a bit of a hike from the campground. The two lighthouses - the tall one is the Inner, and the short one is the Outer - are right on the channel with water on either side, so it's a very nice walk, next to a steel framework in the middle, to the end of the pier, with good photo ops along the way. If you're lucky you may find free parking on the street for a short time period (1-3 hrs).

This is definitely not my favorite state park or Lake Michigan Beach to visit. Not only is it…read morealways extremely crowded and busy, the beach parking lot shares the same space with the campground, making it even busier. It is a really nice pier walk if you come all the way from the channel. But as far as the beach goes, the sand is really awful. There are a lot of rocks and shells and other junk mixed in with the sand that does not make it enjoyable or comfortable, or easy to walk in. There are plenty of other beaches to go to in the area that are nicer and less crowded.