I went here for a quick day hike after kayaking to Turnip Rock. There's actually two trailheads-…read moreone official one with campgrounds and bathrooms, and one with a bridge over the river. I parked at the trailhead with the bridge, which does not have any amenities. If you're nervous about trying to find it, it's right next to the Dark Sky Lodge and Tavern so you can plug that into your navigation system. It's also well marked with a small gravel lot. When I went, the trailhead lot was full so I parked at a grassy lot across the street. The trail runs though the beach and forest ecosystem and it's pretty well maintained and well marked. It's impossible to get lost. As you go near the beach there's plenty of offshoot trails leading to the beach. Just watch out for ticks!

Absolutely breathtaking shoreline!…read more The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because we only noticed one trash receptacle during our trip, and it wasn't near the parking lot but instead was appropriately placed next to a (closed) pavilion. It was overflowing, and I'll give them a pass because of the pandemic, but I was disappointed by the lack of trash cans and only one (closed) bathroom. The dunes were great though! A nice adventure and great place for a picnic! Also, heads up, there are signs that clearly state no glass or animals on the beach but plenty of people brought their dogs. Thankfully we saw owners cleaning up after their pups.

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!

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.

The museum, gift shop, and lighthouse were closed when I visited. I checked the website and the…read moremuseum will open next week on May 23rd. There is a campground by the lighthouse and a nice view of the lake. It is worth stopping by if traveling along Lake Shore Road.

This is a nice lighthouse to stop at and at least walk around. Unfortunately that's all we could do…read moretoday as it's closed due to COVID restrictions. There is a museum that can normally be toured and the lighthouse itself. The parking lot is right next to the lighthouse so there isn't much walking involved. It's also wheelchair accessible by ramp. Unlike some lighthouses that are on a pier this one is right on the shore. It is very well keep from the outside and there are lots of signs to read about the history of the lighthouse. I found a beach to sit on by the water, which was nice. I would stop here again if visiting this area. Easy in and out, parking, and walking.

I always enjoy the chance to kindly interact with our butterfly friends. The Butterfly House in…read morePort Austin is such a simple, but beautiful place to experience. Not only is the inside of the butterfly house itself really well kept, but the grounds surrounding it are decorated with art, sculptures, a garden, and even more bright flowers. There is plenty of parking spaces available for the small attraction, as well as a port-a-potty, but there are no employees directly on the property; the Butterfly house operates on donations, which you can place into a box just inside the entrance. The butterflies were all very active and appeared healthy, also, the plants/gardens looked to be landscaped and cared for regularly. I definitely recommend taking the time to visit if you are in the Port Austin area.

Beautiful little butterfly garden in the middle of downtown Port Austin. It's free and you just…read morewalk in. It's unlocked all the time. They're beautiful flowers and a ton of butterflies! Highly recommend a little visit.

I was in town for their pink lady's slipper festival. It's a small fair held at the nature center…read morewith live music, food, and vendors. It was pretty fun! The pink lady's slipper is an orchid that is native to the eastern United States and is abundant near the center and it's also the logo of the center. The volunteers mentioned there were over a hundred spotted near the trails and you were sure to see them (which we did, over 20+ sightings!). The nature center itself has dioramas about the ecology of the area, bathrooms, a water fountain, and a bird feeder where you can watch wild birds and chipmunks. There were so many goldfinches and mourning doves at that time of day. There's also a tank with a rescued turtle to look at too. It's very family friendly and the trail I went on near the center was paved with a bunch of signs, although there's also more trails which are unpaved. This is a neat little place and I would recommend it!

This place is a hidden gem in Port Austin not only does it have a great nature walk and agility…read morecourse it is free! I never knew that it had a little indoor Research Center that teaches about the wildlife and history of the county it was very interesting and the highlight of going here was for my daughter to be able to pick out a fossl that was local to the lake they even have a little gift shop in the back that you could buy bookmarks, books, birdhouses, bird feeders, and much more if you're going up here to vacation please take the time to check this out it will not be a disappointment.

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.

Includes a small playstructure for 5-12 year olds, swings, and a gazebo overlooking the docks…read more Ample parking and pay charging stations for electric vehicles.

My husband and I camped at Negwegon over Memorial Day and had a great experience! It was our first…read morebackpacking trip with an infant and we're really pleased. We stayed at campsite #4 (a 2.2 mile flat hike in) and it was absolutely stunning. There is private access to the beach, a picnic table, fire ring with rocks that protect it from the wind, and a flat spot for a tent. The mosquitoes were rough in the evenings, but the wind from the lake helped to keep them away. I would recommend this as a great first backpacking trip!

I was just driving through and seen this pier on the map and thought I'd stop for a break…read more What a fantastic river front park. Peaceful and lots of nice waking paths. Many on the paths go out over the water which was super cool. If you driving though this would be a great place to stop and have a picnic or just wander around. With all the piers I bet I'd be a cool place to do some sunrise photography .

Beautiful views and awesome bridges. My husband and I came on a quick walk here while we were in…read moretown. It was very peaceful.