This park is a hidden gem! We stopped in town to grab lunch, and we were looking for a place to…read moreeat and for the kids to get their energy out. The gentleman who checked us out at the register recommended this park, so we drove this way, and we were pleasantly surprised! The park is scenic, has an amazing jungle gym for kids to play, plenty of benches, beautiful walkways, public restrooms, and much more! The kids loved the all wood jungle gym. The park is very clean and well kept. We will definitely be back!

Love this park in downtown West Branch!! They have a little something for everyone. Walking…read moretrails, basketball courts, tennis courts, a covered bridge, a giant playscape, a little stream with ducks, a pavilion, and lots of green grass. Kids and adults can sled on the hill in the winter and ice skate on the court in the winter as well. A definite community gem!

You can tell by the condition of the play structures that this park is underutilized and probably a…read morenew addition to the area. Once peak camping season kicks off at Higgins lake and summer is here, I'm sure this place will get busy. This playground is multi-dimensional because it also has a paved track to walk,jog or run with an exercise obstacle course along the route..very high quality at that. My husband and I stopped at the elliptical, the rowing machine and the chest press...the machines use your weight as resistance and honestly it was an awesome spot to be in a "gym" while completely submersed in nature. Tucked behind the park is a memorial cemetery. Markey dog park is also right here which is the reason we come. We have found this park to be a huge blessing these past 6 months with our new puppy. There's also a connecting trail to the marl lake loops right here! Super convenient honestly so even if your goal is to hike you can jump right into the 3.5mile red loop. As far as the playground itself there are a variety of structures for toddlers-full grown adults apparently because my husband and I really enjoyed the mini-zip line haha! High quality with amazing upkeep... this place is unique and perfectly located.

I've been coming to South Higgins Lake Campground (west side) for years and if it weren't for the…read morebeautiful Higgins lake, I'd go somewhere else. Each year I stay at a different site, and they are all the same: nearly all dirt, lousy facilities and crummy water issues. The water spickets that are located on each street were recently updated to include an on/off valve which sounds great, but when you turn it on it sprays outward, not downward, so you get water sprayed all over you. How hard is it to put in a proper faucet end?! And the bathrooms are similar where the faucets to wash your hands and the shower heads, are all "misting" water flows. I'm sure it's to save water but this is not helping me in cleaning my hands and body. Not to mention the water is ice cold each time (I've tried many different times of the day with no luck). As a taxpayer, we are paying for these parks and deserve top notch, simple amenities such as smooth waterflow, larger hot water tanks and a little grass on the sites. Other than this, the lake is gorgeous and great to spend time on it!

I came here to camp (car camping/tents) for the first camp of the summer and what a great kickoff…read moreto camping season it was for me and my group! Everything here was top notch and well maintained, probably above average from the many state park campgrounds that I have camped at through the years! What that tells me is that this is probably one of the more highly trafficked campgrounds, so there is a lot of maintenance done on it! This campground had the most "modern" bathrooms. Everything was automatic, the toilets, the sinks, the hand dryers. This is by main indicator that the bathrooms are the latest and greatest update! We also loved our campsite. We had a few of Higgins Lake peeking out from around other campsites from ours and were able to enjoy the lake breeze and sunset view from our campsite alone. It was also an easy walk to the lake, where there was a little playground/swing set AND a dog-friendly beach just right off of that playground area as well! Super dog-friendly, which was great because I brought my dog along! Lots of trailers/RVs at all the neighboring campsites, which is to be expected, especially of a more popular campground! This campground also had the most campsites that I've seen as of late (minus Ludington, I'd say)! South Higgins Lake State Park also had some great hiking trails that we took advantage of! Marl Lake Trail is a trail that is very customizable for any of your time/energy level needs - 1, 3, or 5 mile loops can be done on this trail! Other than the hiking and the camping (spent 3 days and 2 nights here), we didn't do much else at the state park, opting instead to rent a boat (from the South Higgins Lake State Park Store - see my review there for details on boat rentals and our experience!) to spend a whole day on the actual lake, so I can't attest to the other amenities this state park has to offer. But for our purposes on this wonderful weekend, it was darn near perfect and we really enjoyed our time!! Hope to be back soon! :)

This is the best beach in Northern Michigan to watch the sunsets. We enjoy watching the boats in…read moreand out of the harbor, too.

The water is so shallow you can walk super far out! Not crowded! Peaceful! & Clear water! Be kind…read moreto the locals!

The Stone Hearth Lodge is cute, could be cleaner, especially the ceiling/vent fans in bathrooms…read more Biggest complaint is the queen bed. Very cheap mattress like laying on springs, also someone put just a piece of plywood down the center of the bed, so you feel like you are rolling off. Get a real box spring and get rid of that half piece of plywood. For the price you pay, the beds should be decent. Has any of the staff ever tried laying on the beds ?

Love it there however my only complaint is dnr is a pain. The prices go up every year, (I get…read moreinflation but come on, the government makes enough off our taxes).

Just spent a week at the campground. Very clean facility and good staff. The restrooms need a…read morerefresh but the showers were good!

We stopped here to break up our trip on the way home from up north. I'd love to go back! The Old…read moreGrowth Trail was lovely to walk through in the fall. There's a cute little logging museum along the way. I loved the beautiful juxtaposition of the fall leaves with the pines and hemlocks. The path is fully paved, and a nice walk for a quick stop along I75 between Ann Arbor and up north. I'd love to go back there.

This is probably one of the best playgrounds up north, the only real downside is the location…read more Kalkaska is a humble and honest small town, but beyond grabbing a bite to eat there isn't much else to do in town... this is only relevant if your traveling to the area from down state. Not much touristy things to do if you plan to come to this park.... downtown is cool but there isn't really shopping... back to the park: this park is tucked behind some buildings and easy to miss if you are driving through. The structure is completely wooden and connected completely through bridges, tunnels, and monkey bars. There's a sign with rules and restrictions and beyond guardians and parents the playground is meant for 12 and under in age. I brought my sister in law and nephew after we grabbed lunch at the up north grill in town (only 5 minutes away so highly recommend for lunch) my nephew is almost 2 years old but there was still tons of interactive stuff for him to do which was unexpected based on the size of this huge castle themed park. There's about 5 different slides so age shouldn't restrict enjoying. The structure is very well built and laid out so, as adults we were for the most part able to maneuver it with our little guy. A bouncy tire contraption that reminded us of a bull was a win as well as a swing that allows an adult to swing with your baby which was SOOOO COOL. Better that just pushing because it adds safety and gives you a chance to do something enjoyable with your baby while making eye contact. Wyatt was all giggles. The park was busy when we visited but it never felt crowded because how it's designed. It's both 40 minutes from my sisters house in grayling but left enoug of an impression that she plans to take Wyatt with my brother this weekend again!

A nice state campground,well maintained very clean and right on the water. Plenty of large camping…read morespots with fire pits. The state park also has a large picnic area with grills over looking Higgins lake .

Both state parks are awesome on Higgins lake. North is a calmer park, more relaxing, family…read moreoriented. South is more active, on the lake and when camping

We have been camping for years and I have to to say this was our best trip since we started. The…read morestaff is absolutely amazing and you can tell they all love their jobs and take great pride in their park. There is a great ranger presence which has been lacking in many parks over the last several years. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Every site was mowed and weed wacked when campers left before new people arrived. The bathrooms were cleaned and monitored multiple times a day. Never saw an empty toilet paper roll in the 5 days we were there. They even got down on the floors of the shower with a brush to clean the grout. Lots of scheduled activities for all ages. Park interpreter Ed was very knowledgeable and personable. I can say the only downside was road noise but that can't be controlled. Well done Mitchell State Park. Awesome job.

The place is great and kept very well with the property. The bathrooms are very clean also. The…read moreemployees are very friendly. The only thing I don't like is the price.

I've enjoyed deer hunting (among other hunters), despite M-55 traffic noise. However, this is an…read morearea prone to flooding, so depending on the year, you may deal with excessive water. There is a snowmobile trail that cuts through both sides of M-55 (consult a trail map). I've enjoyed many opportunities to be in the woods, observe wildlife, and get grounded in my spirit.