A lovely place I stumbled upon when planning a trip and a perfect place for a lunch stop. If I had…read moreonly known the next destination was rainy I would have stayed longer. A bargain of a spot for $3 a day as there is a great beach, kayak rentals, changing facilities all on the beautiful Saginaw bay. We saw jet skis and a lot of boat trailers so there must be a launch nearby. There was also campers and tents with people enjoying a pure Michigan day.

Great little beach on Lake Huron / Saginaw Bay. We visited on a sunny Monday morning to find the…read morebeach quiet except for one group of 4 boys, nice sunshine, and a gentle breeze. The park requires a $3 day use pass. The day before we visited Bay City State Park's beach and it was crowded, noisy, a further walk from the parking lot, and the recreation pass was $9. Plus the water at Pinconning Park is clear while the other beach was murky and algae filled. Both were fine but Pinconning is better.

Beautiful park with breathtaking views. The cabins for rent here are awesome. Shared public…read morerestrooms that are clean. Great way to have an affordable, refreshing weekend getaway.

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!

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.

This is a really nice place to see owls and Bald Eagles. Very big bald eagle population in this…read morenature preserve. Just before sunrise and sunset it's not uncommon to hear Coyotes howling or to see Wood Ducks. It's a nice hike. Five miles of well defined trails in 220 acres of woods and water.

A true gem. So special "as is" that we're hesitant to fill this review will our all our lauding…read moreremarks and don't want to overpopulate the visitor traffic Stop by visitors center first for some outdoor posted info, their packed pollinators garden, and most importantly a quick check with ranger to see if driving trail is open. If unable to drive through, highly recommend their nice hiking trails (easy terrain). Plenty of water fowl and flora to view. Quiet, serene setting truly transports one away from the hustle and bustle. We needed the break from tourist-filled Frankenmuth and we're surprised refuge was just a 20-minute drive away. Ahhhhh...great respite. Would have appreciated a few more benches to be able to sit and soak in the ambience. Plus a handout map....digital was great but cell service can be spotty. Add a list with pics of some wildlife to view would be helpful as well. Appreciate the park rangers hard work in keeping such a safe haven for wildlife. Expect to need a car wash afterwards...dirt road. But we'll worth it! Free admission (thanks). Donor box? We'd gladly support your cause

Awesome little auto loop. They have great hiking trails…read morealso. I saw a lot of cool little fuzzy caterpillars, a snake, different kinds of birds, an eagle's nest...It's not open year round but you can hike year round. Beautiful little treasure tucked away...

I came here to see the lighthouse and ended up coming back multiple times for so much more. Only…read more$20 for an annual pass. The lighthouse is 150 years old and looks charming! I also enjoyed the Sandy Hook nature trail. I saw many birds, flowers, and a deer. I stopped at the beach to watch the kite surfers - so cool. This park offers something for everyone.

The lighthouse is beautiful going up to the top is a beautiful view the people that worked there…read moreare very nice. The tour was very informative. And they do have a gift shop

Great place to relax and take the family, you can sled in the winter, go hiking, fishing, play disc…read moregolf, or bring the camera and get some amazing pictures.

Who made the maps of this place? The park is beautiful, Chippewa River runs through it.read more

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! :)

Wow!! I love it here! My hubby planned a day trip here for us. I had never heard of Whiting Forest…read morebefore. I didn't honestly know what to expect but loved it all. The canopy walk just blew us away. I love the hammock area where you can sit suspended above the ground, that was my favorite. It was so unique and interesting as were the other areas they had to climb into. Besides the beauty that surrounded us everywhere. The thing that really stuck out to us was how well the whole area was taken care of. The gating was clean, no spiders or cobweb's hanging anywhere, as is the case most places. And for someone who hates spiders. I can't tell you how much it's appreciated. If you are looking for pricing. It's $10 a person $2 for students. Or $20 a year per person. We had purchased a day ticket. But after 10 minutes knew that we had to change that. So before we left we went and purchased the year passes!! This also includes the Dow Gardens

Such a wonderful place for the entire family to enjoy!! Definitely a must to buy their yearly…read morepass!!

This is a wonderful nature center! Inside the building is a very nice exhibit space, which includes…read moresome snakes, toads, and other animals, plus information about the nature and history of the area. It leads back to a cute little tree play area and a quiet space to look out at bird feeders. There is also a fantastic river overlook in the main space near some play space. A small shop carries a variety of nature-related and local items. Outside offers a number of trails, a nature play area, picnic tables, and the like. We quite enjoyed the trail near the pond, which also offers a story walk, in addition to being able to peer at all of the plants and critters near the pond. A very nice spot!

Amazing preschool with wonderful staff in addition to the large number of walking paths, many free…read moreevents and loads of wild life!