We were here just after Labor Day so the beach was pretty much dead which was awesome for us as we…read morehad the whole place to ourselves. The wind made it a bit too chilly to do much outside from walk along the beach but had it been a bit warmer it would have been a great place to go swimming or wading. I hadn't realized that nearby is also a dark sky park so I imagine you'll have some dynamite night sky gazing if you're there after sunset. I'd love to come back and take some astrophotography shots with my camera this coming summer. Also worth noting, not sure if this is the case in peak season times but the park has a solid public restroom as well. Very clean!

2020-07-25. Oak Beach County Park, Port Austin, MI…read more In Michigan, everyone boasts of the beauty of the mitt; the scenic scapes of the UP (Upper Peninsula), the old world charm of Mackinaw and Mackinac Island, and the great outdoors of the Grand Traverse County. But there's another part to every mitten, and today my travels took me here, to Michigan's thumb. Well, to what I call the Thumbnail to be more precise. The thumbnail I refer to is the coastal areas of Michigan's thumb, from Bay Port to the West, to Harbor Beach to the east. One thing this area isn't lacking are beaches, beautiful sand beaches bordering Saginaw Bay or Lake Huron. While many a property here gets a piece of the water, there are many pubic beaches as well. The beaches are smaller and encompass only a few hundred feet of waterfront, but they make up for it in how many there are within close proximity to one another. Caseville has a decent size beach, but is often very crowded, and with COVID still looming around, we decided to go further north to Port Austin. Our day began at Bay Port to pick up some smoked fish, then to the Port Austin Farmer's Market. After that I had 3 beaches picked out. Oak County Park, Veteran's Park, and Bird Creek Park. Bird Creek Park is a 1000 foot expanse of beach to the immediate east of the Port Austin State Harbor. From here, you would be able to see personal boats come and go. The parking lot has enough space for about 70 vehicles, and spaces fill up by early afternoon. Not finding any spots within social distancing guidelines, we moved to the west side of the Port Austin State Harbor to Veteran's Waterfront Park. It's about half the size of Bird Creek with approximately 500 linear feet of beachfront. This side has the breakwater, so if you're in to boat spotting, it's not the optimal side to be on. While these two parks are adjacent to each other with only about 500 feet between them, there is no direct path to get there on foot. You will need to drive from one lot to the other. The parking lot is proportionally smaller here with about 40 parking spots. Not having any luck at Veteran's we moved to my original choice of Oak Beach. During our journey west, we passed by several other beaches. 4 miles away is Port Crescent State Park. Being a State Park, a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry. We had ours, but if you don't have one, no worries, you can purchase one at the entrance. The cost is $12 for the year + $5 convenience fee for not purchasing it when you renew your License Plate tabs. This beach is the largest of them all by far, and spans about 2 miles. There's one central lot, and despite the price of parking, many come to enjoy this beach. This was my backup beach, so we pressed on westward. The next beach is at McGraw County Park. A small pubic park with no pavilions and only about 400 feet of beachfront. After this one is our destination, Oak Beach County Park. This park is much bigger compared to McGraw with two large pavilions, a playground, 2 horseshoe pits, and about 700 feet of beachfront. Here, we were lucky enough to find both a spot on the beach and in the parking lot. In addition to the pavilions, fixed charcoal barbecue grills are scattered throughout the park for public use. There are restrooms with one shower stall in each as well as a rinsing well to get the excess sand off your legs before heading home. Still on the Lake Huron side, the water is much cooler and the water remains shallow throughout the buoy markers for swimmers. At spots there are pockets where the water does get about 5 feet deep, so if you have little ones, take care to make sure they don't wander off to far on their own. If you venture past these deeper wells, it gets shallow again (about 3 feet). The bottom is sandy so muddy waters are kept to a minimum. Overall a nice beach with nice amenities. 4 stars. The great thing about this beach park is that there is a nature center about a half mile away. The Huron County Nature Center has many hiking trails that are well marked and pets are welcome. Overall, Michigan's Thumbnail Coast boasts many smaller beaches which is quite a nice change from the densely populated ones of Metro Park and Stony Creek. The water is cleaner and cooler, a bonus on those really hot days. There is one more beach if you continue on the Journey to the West. Thompson County Park is very similar to McGraw County Park, with about 400 feet of beachfront and no pavilions or playgrounds. So don't give up if you can't find a spot straight away. Our day trip was to conclude with a stop at Rybak's Ice Cream, but they were closed due to COVID, so we checked out The Grindstone General Store and Blue Moon Ice Cream Shoppe. If you would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your company... Bon Appétit!

One word: Beautiful! Nature takes care of everything and the great people of Oscoda and the State…read moreof Michigan does the rest. Really well-cared for! It's wonderful here! The beach is fantastic, the views are perfect. There are plenty of fun activities planned including movies in the park. Lots of places to relax. This is a slice of heaven! Amazing!

What a stunning beach! Everything about the Oscoda Beach Park was perfect. The sand was super clean…read moreand the water. Cute shops, ice cream, restaurants, and much more within walking distance. Dog friendly.

300 stairs. From the top of the springs to the Au Sable river below, that is how many stairs it…read moretakes to descend the nearly 200 foot vertical drop at this local North Eastern Michigan outdoor adventure spot. And while it might not seem like much while you are walking DOWN them, in this antigravity paradox just remember, what goes down must also come back up--unless you plan on sleeping down there. Once you've descended the 300 stairs (actually, even on the way down), the views are absolutely spectacular. The setting is tranquil and relaxing, and there are several placards along the way which tell the story of the Springs and describe so many interesting aspects of this Huron National Forest site. Feel free to take your time meandering about in the shade of the canopied forest--for your looming ascent will have you longing for that serene setting. Once you've read all the informational signs and committed the gorgeous views to memory (or at least snapped some memorable phots thereof), its time to climb. Yep, those same 300 stairs that seemed so innocent on your decent now become your nemesis. In the mid summer heat, you also gain a deep appreciation for the perspiration-evoking power of Michigan's humidity. And, for those ultra-tough cross fit types out there that may scoff at those panting, wheezing, sweating souls such as, perhaps, me, maybe you should attack the 300 stairs Rocky Balboa style and enjoy yourself a victory dance at the top (after which, if you are feeling a little humanitarian urge, you could send down a tow rope or some other means of pulling my kind up the 186 stairs I still need to climb).

I guess I'm really only reviewing the 22 mile river road scenic byway. A beautiful late winter day-…read more60 degrees and sunny, left water over ice on all walkways and lookout points. Tennis shoes weren't going to allow that to happen. Turned into a nice drive, nonetheless.

My fiance and I were pleased with our overnight stay at Paradise Beach resort. Our cabin was cute…read morewith just enough rustic feel. We had a great view of the lake, and we were actually able to check in early. One thing that was kind of a bummer was the check in time. You cannot check in until 5 pm, unless it's a case like mine was. I feel this is a very late check in time compared to other places similar to this one.

If you're looking for an escape and want the beach to be within steps, Paradise Beach is the place!…read moreThe host(s) are very friendly and accommodating allowing us to check-in early and check out later as well. While we didn't get to stay as long as we'd liked to, we intend to return very soon.

Good experience! Employees were mostly nice…read more We plan to go back again! Such an easy paddle, about 30 minutes going SLOOOOOW (allowing children to paddle) to get to the beach. Bring anything/everything you need to make it an all day event.

Great little rental stop for the river. They have kayaks and canoes. The prices went up since they…read moreupdated on Facebook but still reasonable. $30 for a canoe or Kayak. You get it for the entire day. Die back at 6pm. During the busy season you want to get there early, they do run out of kayaks. Very friendly and helpful. The teenage guys working there are very nice. They work for extra tips. Recommend this spot for a quick rental and river trip.

Not ideal for tent camping. This is the first state campground that I have stayed at, so I don't…read morehave anything to compare it to. We usually stay at more rustic campgrounds. The spaces were close together and there were lot of flies everywhere. There was a poop smell throughout the campground and the beach. With the campsites being so close together you could hear everyone "yelling at their kids" or partying until 2:00 AM. The bathrooms had dirty floors and the shower was gross. The beach was a nice short walk just across the bridge and to the other side of the road. There were lots of campers and many of them had lights on at night or hung lights outside their camper which created light pollution so you could not see the stars. Maybe you want to hang out with a bunch of strangers and listen to their business or their partying until the wee hours of the morning. If that sounds like fun then you should definitely come here. If you came for an outdoor experience, wanted to see the stars or hear nature then I would avoid this campground.

One of our favorite parks to camp at. Seriously it's beautiful. There are so many good sites and…read morewonderful views. This is an annual trip for us.

I happened onto this adorable little "Pocket Park" when I pulled off the main road to use my phone…read moremaps. You can see from my picture it is not large but is very pretty so the name fits it perfectly. I took a picture of the sign so I would remember where I'd seen it. Just a fun little find I never would have seen from the freeways. From the internet: This lovely roadside park is nestled in the downtown business district, and is just steps away from many local shops, businesses, restaurants and taverns. When in full bloom, you really cannot help but notice the colorful array of flowers and the paved path that veers off from the sidewalk on Dwight Street leads to several benches and sitting areas for relaxing and "smelling the flowers" as they say. In the winter, the little park is neatly decorated with lights and snowmen. Toll Free: (800)235-4625 Phone: (989)739-7322 Fax: (989)739-9195 Email: jody@oscodachamber.com Address US-23 and Dwight Street Oscoda, MI 48750

In the area for a family vacation and stopped by McGraw County Park. It's a small roadside park…read moremeant specifically to enjoy the beach. There was a public restroom, grills, a small parking lot, and a couple paths leading down to a beautiful, clean, soft, sandy beach. That's it. The park is dog friendly and does not allow alcohol/glass on the beach. The water was nice, a little stirred up when we were there, but clean with very few rocks around tripping you up. It also stayed rather shallow, quite a distance out, for wading and swimming. Fantastic sunset views. Great experience. We will definitely be back.