Ludington State Park is a public recreation area located two miles north of Ludington,

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 ...

, occupying between 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 ...

and

Hamlin Lake Hamlin Lake is a man-made lake in Michigan enlarged by the backup of the Big Sable River by the Hamlin Lake Dam before it reaches Lake Michigan. The lake, which covers , is long and wide. It is the largest man-made lake in Michigan. It has two ...

. 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 ...

is crossed by a one-mile stretch of the

Big Sable River The Big Sable River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river in Michigan in the United States. It originates in Lake County in the chain of lakes kno ...

and is home to the

Big Sable Point Lighthouse The Big Sable Point Light is a lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan near Ludington in Mason County, Michigan, at the Ludington State Park. It is an active aid to navigation.

, which dates from 1876.

Ecology

The

encompasses multiple ecosystems including sand dune, forest, wetlands, and marshlands. The park contains the southern 2,820 acres (11.4 km²) of the Big Sable Dunes complex, with the

Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness is a listed wilderness area within the Manistee National Forest. It is located north of Ludington, Michigan, and is best known for its 4 miles (6.4 km) of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline. Geology The la ...

, immediately north of the park, preserving the northern half of the complex.

History

The park began through the efforts of the Isaac Walton League to have 800 acres held by the federal government as a lighthouse preserve transferred to the state of Michigan for the purpose of creating a state park. The park was established in 1927 after the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

authorized the transfer. During the 1930s, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

was active in the park making improvements that included building the park's Arts and Crafts style beach house. In 2002, the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

deeded the lighthouse station complex to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Activities and amenities

The park's water activities include fishing and swimming on Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake and tubing on Big Sable River. The park offers 21.5 miles of hiking trails, 10 miles of cross-country ski trails, a 2-mile bicycle trail, and a 4-mile canoe trail. The park has four campgrounds containing a total of 360 campsites that include remote hike-in sites. The park also offers a cafe and lighthouse tours and is a stop on the Mason County Sculpture Trail.

References

External links

Ludington State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Ludington State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association
{{authority control Protected areas of Mason County, Michigan State parks of Michigan Important Bird Areas of Michigan Protected areas established in 1926 1926 establishments in Michigan IUCN Category III Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan