Commissioner Susie: Tour of Muskegon County Parks

After working at Pioneer Park on the first County Free Parks Day, I knew that I had to take a trip to see all of our wonderful County Parks. Memorial Day weekend was busy. Saturday John and I attended the opening of the USS Flyer Submarine Exhibit, Sunday the Lost Boat Ceremony at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum honoring those that lost their lives defending our Country aboard submarines.

Memorial Day we decided to take a County Parks tour, it took us 147.6 miles and from end to end of Muskegon County and we were treated to beautiful parks. I hope all of you get a chance to visit all of our parks, they are wonderful!!

Our first stop was at the south eastern end of he County at Patterson Park, located on the Little Rio Grande Creek two miles southwest of Ravenna on Blackmer Road. The park is 28 acres on the river flood plain with wooded and open areas. A variety of wild flowers bloom throughout the spring and summer offering the visitor the opportunity to view species not common to most areas in Muskegon County.

Next on the Parks tour was, Moore County Park.

Moore Park is 36 acres of hills, woodlands, wetlands and grassy open areas with 1,500-foot shoreline on Half Moon Lake. Moore Park is located on Half Moon Lake one mile north of the junction of M37 and M46 on the east side of Muskegon County.

The lake is a popular attraction for fishing, boating and swimming. Other activities are picnicking, sunbathing and walking on paved roadways or in the woods. Facilities available for public use include a small picnic shelter, park grills & tables, restrooms and an unimproved boat launch.

Twin Lake Park was next, it is a 15-acre park with shaded and open areas for family outdoor activities. The park has 800 feet of frontage on Twin Lake and is very popular for picnicking and swimming. Twin Lake County Park is located on Twin Lake off M-120.

On to Blue Lake County Park and it's nearly 600 feet of frontage along the southeast shore of the Big Blue Lake, this 25-acre park is the perfect place for fishing, boating, water-skiing and camping. A boat launch is located at Deremo Access Site on the north side of Blue Lake.

Blue Lake County Park is located on Big Blue Lake north of Muskegon on Nichols Road.

Our next Park was Minert Park and the Pines Campground, tucked away at the north end of the county Meinert Park offers a quiet retreat for the outdoor enthusiast. 182 acres with rolling dunes, including a large parabolic dune and scenic overlooks providing spectacular views of Little Flower Creek and the Lake Michigan shoreline. Visitors can climb the unimproved trail to the top of a dune for a panoramic view of lake Michigan and the surrounding countryside. Meinert County Park is located on Lake Michigan north of Montague at the end of Meinert Road.

Our last stop was beautiful Pioneer Park, one of our most popular County Parks, it covers 145-acres and offers camping, swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, tennis, softball, basketball and volleyball. The park is filled with a variety of mixed oak, maple, white pine and hemlock pine trees. Pioneer Park is located on Lake Michigan and has over 2,000 feet of white sandy beach frontage. The park is located close to Michigan's Adventure amusement park, Silversides WWI submarine, museums, theaters, summer festivals and other Muskegon County area attractions.

Pioneer park is located on Lake Michigan on Scenic Drive, north of Muskegon and is open daily throughout the year. Activities available at Pioneer include: Picnicking, Swimming, Sunbathing, Tennis, softball, basketball, volleyball and more.

A picnic lodge building is available to rent for family reunions, company and church picnics or other group activities where shelter is desired. The picnic lodge offers a large stove/oven for cooking, a refrigerator for keeping your food cold and electrical outlets for crock pots, coffee pots, etc.