South Higgins Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering on the southern shore of

Higgins Lake Higgins Lake is a large recreational and fishing lake in Roscommon County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 9,900 acre (40 km²) lake is known for its deep, clear waters and is the 10th largest in Michigan with a shoreline of . It is named ...

five miles southwest of

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

Roscommon County Roscommon County ( ') is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 23,459. The county seat is Roscommon. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875. History The county was formed by ...

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 ...

occupies one mile of shoreline on Higgins Lake and entirely surrounds

Marl Lake A marl lake is a type of alkaline lake whose bottom sediments include large deposits of marl, a mixture of clay and carbonate minerals. The term is particularly applied to lakes that have been dredged or mined for marl, often for manufacturing P ...

and portions of the Cut River.

Description

County Road 100 runs through the park, dividing it into north and south sections. Most park development is in the north section between Higgins Lake and CR 100. The Marl Lake section is less developed and has of hiking trails. The park has a mixed pine, oak and maple forest. Bird species include nesting bald eagles, migratory loons, kingfisher and turkey.

History

Originally covering , the park opened in 1927 with a 15-unit campground that has since expanded to 400 units, making it the second largest camping area in the Michigan state park system. The park saw a major increase in size in 1984 when the state acquired the 700-acre portion of the park surrounding Marl Lake after development efforts by private interests failed.

Activities and amenities

The park offers swimming, boating, fishing, five miles of trails for hiking and cross-country skiing, hunting, picnicking and a 400-site campground.

References

External links

South Higgins Lake State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
South Higgins Lake State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources {{authority control State parks of Michigan Protected areas of Roscommon County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1927