P.J. Hoffmaster State Park is a public recreation area on the shores of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

located five miles north of

Grand Haven Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand H ...

at the southwest corner of Norton Shores, in Muskegon County, and the northwest corner of Spring Lake Township, in Ottawa County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It is operated by the

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor a ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

includes of land including of sand beach on the lake.

History

Established in 1963, the park is named after Percy James Hoffmaster, sometimes considered the founder of the Michigan state parks system, who served as the Superintendent of State Parks and longest-acting Director of the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

. The park's nature center is named for Emma Genevieve Gillette, who scouted locations for new state parks under Hoffmaster.

Activities and amenities

The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center features interactive exhibits related to the

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

within the park. The center also has live animals and an auditorium and offers many nature programs for the public. There are of hiking trails, including the Dune Climb Stairway on the tallest dune. of trail are groomed in the winter for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. There are two campgrounds and a beach. Bird watchers come to view migrating songbirds (wood thrushes and orioles plus warblers and sparrows of various species) and migrating raptors (sharp-shinned and broad-winged hawks and even the occasional eagle or falcon).Wildlife Viewing at Hoffmaster State Park - Michigan DNR

In the news

The park made international headlines on July 8, 2009, when a man fell asleep in his truck and backed over his family tent, injuring his wife and two young children.

References

External links

Hoffmaster State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Hoffmaster State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Gillette Nature Association at Hoffmaster State Park
Gillette Nature Association {{authority control State parks of Michigan Beaches of Michigan Natural history museums in Michigan Museums in Muskegon County, Michigan Museums in Ottawa County, Michigan Protected areas of Muskegon County, Michigan Protected areas of Ottawa County, Michigan Nature centers in Michigan Landforms of Ottawa County, Michigan Landforms of Muskegon County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1963 1963 establishments in Michigan IUCN Category III