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.

Love this magical park. Love the Imerman family for giving Saginaw this special park. Beautiful…read morehiking and love the dog park.

Even though it is not the most beautiful park, it is great for walking around to get some fresh…read moreair. I see fish in the water but due to the advisories I think most people would prefer not to fish here. There are also a few grills and large gazebos that can be reserved for local residents in case you want to have a cookout. If you have a dog or child they can play in their designated playgrounds. Admission is free to local residents as well, as long as you display the sticker provided.

Iconic Tridge downtown Midland. Must see! Relaxing walk over the unique tridge connecting three…read morerivers. Grab a coffee or lunch to-go nearby and enjoy sitting on the benches at the center of where the three bridges meet. Dog park and skate park are located nearby. HIGHLY recommend visiting!!!

This is a fun stop if you're in town! It's a three-legged wooden pedestrian bridge that spans the…read moreconfluence of the Tittabawassee and Chippewa Rivers in Chippewassee Park. It's pretty rare to see a three legged bridge, and even more rare to see one as well maintained and gorgeous as this one. We came from the side closest to downtown, and there was plenty of parking in the lot, with free three hour parking on the street as well. There's a watercraft access point for kayaks and the like, and a few people boating and people fishing at the shores of the lake. There were also people having a picnic at the picnic tables. It's a peaceful place to visit and the surrounding grounds are well maintained.

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.

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!

It's a wildlife hunting area. I'll post some info in the pictures....i like to come here for the…read morepeacefulness and beauty.my daughter and i enjoy coming here for picnics and birdwatching.i used to come out here with friends in highschool also. A lot of good memories here.

This is a very beautiful place see beautiful birds and to see the Saginaw Bay this is 1500 Acres…read morethere is a lot to see

Fabulous ship watching from the banks of the St.Clair River. You may watch from your car, find a…read morebench, and people-watch, too.

This is a gorgeous park along the waters edge. You can spend a tranquil day here watching the…read moregorgeous water and people watching. Last year this park was the hotspot for rock hunting. We had a blast and the park was loaded with gorgeous rock finds. This park boasts a play ground and picnic tables. A great place for a kids birthday party. There is so much to do and watch in this area. Spend an hour or two, or all day.