Van Buren State Park is a

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 ...

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 ...

south of South Haven,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The park, which is maintained and 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 ...

, is located in the southwest corner of South Haven Township and the northwest corner of Covert Township, just north of the

Palisades Nuclear Power Plant The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station was a nuclear power plant located on Lake Michigan, in Van Buren County's Covert Township, Michigan, on a site south of South Haven, Michigan, USA. Palisades was owned and operated by Entergy. It had bee ...

. The Van Buren County–owned North Point Conservation Area is located directly north of the park. The park has forested

sand dunes 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 ...

, camping, and a swimming beach.

History

Van Buren was established in 1966 after purchase of the park's first from the Harry LaBar Drake family in 1965. Two subsequent land purchases further expanded the park's boundaries.

Activities and amenities

The park offers swimming, picnicking, playground, and a 220-site campground.

References

External links

Van Buren State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Van Buren State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources {{authority control State parks of Michigan Beaches of Michigan Protected areas of Van Buren County, Michigan Landforms of Van Buren County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1966 1966 establishments in Michigan IUCN Category III