Port Crescent State Park is a public recreation area on

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

southwest of Port Austin in Huron County at the tip of

The Thumb The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of M ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

covers along state route M-25 in Hume Township. The park occupies the site of Port Crescent, a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

which once stood at the mouth of the

Pinnebog River The Pinnebog River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in the Thumb region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river flows into Lake Huron on the ...

. The park was designated a Michigan "

dark sky preserve A dark-sky preserve (DSP) is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory, that restricts artificial light pollution. The purpose of the dark-sky movement is generally to promote astronomy. However, astronomy is certainly not the only obje ...

" in 2012.

History

The park's first 124 acres were purchased by the state in 1956. One of the last visible remnants of the vanished town of Port Crescent, the 120-foot-tall Pack & Woods Sawmill chimney, was razed in 1961, despite the objections of residents who felt the loss of the local landmark. The park was expanded with the purchase of an additional 455 acres in 1977.

Activities and amenities

The state park offers swimming, picnicking, canoeing, fishing, of hiking trails, cross-country skiing, and a 142-site campground and cabin.

References

External links

Port Crescent State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Port Crescent State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources {{authority control State parks of Michigan Lake Huron Protected areas of Huron County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1955 1955 establishments in Michigan IUCN Category III