Stearns Beach Park is such a nice, clean, accessible beach, and there's so much to do around it…read morethat it makes for a really easy beach day. There's a paved path that takes you down pretty close to the water, with plenty of places to sit along the way, which makes the beach really accessible for just about everyone. You can also walk out onto the lighthouse, which is a fun little addition to the beach. We didn't spend quite as much time here on this trip because we were exploring some of the other areas around Ludington, but we've enjoyed coming here. I wouldn't say this is the most beautiful or dramatic beach we've been to. It's a big, open stretch of beach without a ton of natural scenery. But it definitely makes up for that with the views and everything around it. You have the harbor right next to you, and the SS Badger regularly passes by, which is really cool to watch. The water itself is beautiful, and there's something fun about being able to sit on the beach and watch the boats coming and going. Another huge plus is the location. You can easily walk into the cute little beach town for food, drinks, and shops, and there's a skate park and mini golf nearby too. You really don't have to move your car once you get here. Overall, it's a clean, convenient, family-friendly beach with great accessibility and plenty to do nearby. It may not have the dramatic scenery of some of Michigan's other beaches, but the location and atmosphere make it absolutely worth visiting when you're in Ludington!

Is parking to the beach suggest you get there early. Two pavilions with food and restrooms. They…read morehave handicap accessible mats all the way down from parking lot to the water. There is a pier to walk and a good 1/2 mile of sandy beach to walk. Have not seen any sharks and there is zero salt in the water. Win win for today!

This was my first time in Ludington. I have heard so much about it, and I was excited to finally…read moremake it here. My friend said this is his favorite westside town. I was impressed my the marina and the great beach. The beach was super busy and we found our way to the lighthouse. It's a bit of a walk so be prepared to bring comfortable shoes. We enjoyed watching the ships come into port. If you happen to be out this way, I highly suggest making a trip out to the lighthouse. Not only is it a beautiful backdrop, it's also a great place to take pictures.

A very tough…read morelighthouse The very first lighthouse in the area was established in 1871 but didn't last very long and was washed away in a huge storm a few years later. Since Ludington was becoming an extremely important harbor a new and stronger light was obviously needed. Debates about whether to put the new lighthouse on the south or north pier raged for years, and the exact kind of lighthouse was also a very contentious subject. So of course nothing got done. Finally around 1924 the present lighthouse was constructed at the end of the half mile north concrete pier. Since the area is know for very intense and powerful storms, the engineers wanted to make sure the lighthouse was strong enough to withstand anything that the howling gales of Lake Michigan could throw at it. So they went all out when they designed and built this light. The lighthouse is constructed with a steel frame in addition to steel plating added to the outside. And to increase the structural integrity of the lighthouse a strange looking prow, similar to that on a large ship, was added at the bottom to deflect the larger waves. Pretty cool looking and when viewed from a distance, almost makes the lighthouse seem like it's sailing across the horizon. The fourth order Fresnel Lens was removed and is passed around to various local maritime museums. The lighthouse can be reached by walking out to the end of the half mile pier but going out they in storms and blizzards is probably not a good idea. During the summer the lighthouse is open and for five bucks the public can climb the 53 stairs to the top. Certainly not the tallest, biggest, oldest or most important lighthouse in Michigan but with the steel plates added over the steel frame and the addition of the cool prow, this is definitely one of the very toughest and strongest lighthouses anywhere.

Amazing park and playground right near the waterfront and marina. The kids played forever and loved…read moreit. Also got to watch the SS badger come into the harbor. Definitely worth a visit!

We love this park/playground!…read more The PLAYGROUND is huge and great for kids of all ages! There are TONS of really nice play spaces for toddlers through older elementary kids. There are lots of benches and picnic tables surrounding the play areas, many of which are in the shade. RESTROOMS are indoors and have modern plumbing. There are 2 stalls in the women's;1 stall plus a urinal in the men's. PARKING is free and abundant. There's a parking lot plus on-street parking. There is a walking trail along Lake Michigan that also goes by two marinas. You can also see the SS Badger enter and leave port from the park. We will definitely return to this park if we're in the area again! The park is totally free and the kids love it!

Ludington State Park is HUGE, and we absolutely loved it! We paid $12 to get into the park and…read morestarted with the hike to Big Sable Lighthouse. It's about 1.8 miles each way, so just under 4 miles round trip. The trail to the lighthouse is a wide, sandy path that runs through the campground and then continues out toward the lighthouse. It's an easy path, but it is long and definitely sandy, so be prepared for that. The lighthouse area is really cute, and while we didn't care about going inside this time, they do offer tours. It was $8 per person when we were there. There are also picnic tables where you can sit and enjoy the area around the lighthouse. After our hike, we headed over to the beach, and WOW. The beach is absolutely massive and beautiful. It's sandy rather than rocky, incredibly clean, and the water was crystal clear. It was definitely brisk, but so beautiful that I didn't mind! There's a designated swimming area, volleyball nets, and really nice facilities. There are no lifeguards, though, so keep that in mind. It also looked like there were some really cool trails through the sand dunes, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time to explore those on this trip. We needed to grab lunch, rest, and hit the pool before coming back later for sunset. And I am SO glad we came back. The sunset here was absolutely spectacular. Watching the sun go down over this huge, beautiful stretch of sandy beach was one of the highlights of our entire trip. This park really has everything: the lighthouse, miles of trails, huge sand dunes, a beautiful beach, swimming, volleyball, camping, and some incredible views. We only scratched the surface of what there is to explore, and I already know we'd love to come back and spend an entire day here. Definitely one of the highlights of our Ludington trip and absolutely worth the $12 admission!

I stopped in here for half a day to do some hiking and get my nature fix before moving on to my…read morenext road trip destination. The road to the entrance is full of sand dunes and beaches on Lake Michigan before turning into a wooded area at the actual park. We got to see a Bald Eagle perched upon a tree as we entered the park. The park has several RV camp sites that to me looked to be right on top of each other. They pack them in like sardines but I think that is the norm at these type of places these days. Not sure what the cost is to camp but for non-residents to come in for a day pass it was 11.00 per day. We decided to do the Lost Lake trail which is a loop across a couple islands on Hamlin Lake (yes there are bridges, you don't need to bring your snorkel). The hike was relatively void of people only passing a few along the way. I did see a hand full of people kayaking on the lake and a few more kayaks parked on the bank near the campground. The hike is 2.1 miles long and relatively flat the whole way. I wanted to do the lighthouse trail as well but there wasn't enough time. Great place to get your nature fix via kayak or foot. Not sure I would want to camp here on a weekend though unless you want Billy Bob and Mary Sue's 7 rugrats running around your site screaming.

This is a hidden beach that few know about, mostly because you need to drive toward the Portage…read morePoint Inn (be sure to fill your water bottles at the artesian spring, just past the camp), and then keep going right past it on a VERY dinky, one lane road. Head past the marina and yacht club, take a right, and up the dune to the parking lot (free). There's a single room changing area with a pit toilet (needs must), well lit. There are two gazebos and a wooden walkway at the south end of the small parking lot, and a gazebo with benches at the north end of the parking lot. There are dog bags, if you're walking your dog (thank you for cleaning up after them!). I especially love the new addition this year of a barely inclined wooden walkway, with a handicap mat (not sure what to call it, but it is plastic netting that is a stable place for you to walk or wheel down). There's a pier, and a lighthouse at the end. There are 4 fire rings, if you are inclined to have a lovely beach sunset fire (bring supplies). This is my favorite hidden beach in Michigan, and the swims - and sunsets - are glorious.

My husband, my parents and myself have been planning a trip to Mears Michigan so we could visit the…read moredunes at Silver Lake State Park for over a year. We had been looking forward to seeing all the park has to offer for so long and the views alone exceeded our expectations beyond measure. Do keep in mind that the sand can get extremely hot so come prepared to create a barrier between your feel and the sand. If you are a fan of visiting state parks, Silver Lake is a must stop. I am so grateful I was able to visit.

This review is for the campground only. Campsites are irregularly sized, spaced and oriented and…read moresince it's almost all bare dirt, it's very difficult to identify where each begins and ends, resulting in people setting up and parking kinda wherever they want. Power poles are shared with four sites almost requiring that you have at least 50' of power cord to reach the one for your site. We had to switch sites twice before we got one that our standard 25' cord would reach. Only two dump drains and 2 bathhouses for 205 sites - not enough. Many sites with multiple vehicles, ORVs, boats, etc. so it's just extremely busy. Definitely not worth the nearly $62 a night it cost (includes $12 daily use fee, but not the $8 reservation fee) for electric only hookup. We won't stay here again.

Love this area! Just north of Ludington with way less traffic and completely different adventures!…read moreYou can walk in and camp basically right on the beach here, which is absolutely dreamy and there are just such wonderful hiking trails throughout that offer you challenges and just the most gorgeous sights as well! This spot definitely isn't for everyone and there won't be any "easy" hikes. Nordhouse Dunes makes you work for it, but the payoff is immense and completely worth it! Uninterrupted access to Lake Michigan and stunning vibes - what more could you ask for?! Love Nordhouse Dunes!!

It's crowded but the hike is nice. We were there the first week of September and I was surprised to…read moresee the campground full of campers. I got some great shots with my cannon and my kids enjoyed the hike...it was longer than we thought it would be!

One of our hands-down favorite places to hike. There's tons of hike-in camping spots along the…read more11-mile hiking trail, which largely follows the shoreline of the Manistee River with a few inland jaunts on a few of the oxbows. Despite being fairly well known, it's pretty pristine and doesn't feel overly busy but it's also never completely vacant. The river views are lovely, there's plenty of wildlife (great fishing & birdwatching), and there's a cliff swing over the water (huge adrenaline rush for this 43-year-old) on an off-shoot path just past the suspension bridge and a waterfall at mile 3.5 if you're coming from the north. You can return on the main path or on the other side of the river on a section of the North Country Trail.

What a great hiking trail! Parking wasn't bad at Red River Bridge Access…read moreOnce on the trail it is well marked. Campsites were clean and it looks like the hikers who enjoy the trail take good care of it. I didn't see one bit of trash the whole day. It was pretty busy, with folks heading both directions, everyone was very friendly and they all seemed to be enjoying the day! The views are beautiful. Absolutely the best hiking we have done in the lower peninsula. We will absolutely be back!

Beencamping here for years 10+. Just spend a week here and now they are charging those who camp…read morehere to dump. I WILL NEVER GO BACK

This is a gem of a park that is a secret spot for locals. It has a beautiful in ground heated pool,…read moreand many other amenities.