Burtchville Township is a civil township of St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 Census, the township population was 4,008.
Van Buren State Park is a 400-acre (160 ha) state park on Lake Michigan four miles (6.4 km) south of South Haven, Michigan, United States. The park, which is maintained and operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 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 Van Buren County–owned North Point Conservation Area is located directly north of the park. The park has forested sand dunes, camping, and a swimming beach.
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 Metro Detroit. The region is also branded as the Blue Water Area.
The protected areas of Michigan come in an array of different types and levels of protection. Michigan has five units of the National Park Service system. There are 14 federal wilderness areas; the majority of these are also tribal-designated wildernesses. It has one of the largest state forest systems as well having four national forests. The state maintains a large state park system and there are also regional parks, and county, township and city parks. Still other parks on land and in the Great Lakes are maintained by other governmental bodies. Private protected areas also exist in the state, mainly lands owned by land conservancies.
Holland State Park is a public recreation area covering 142 acres (57 ha) in Park Township, Ottawa County, four miles (6 km) west of the city of Holland, Michigan. The state park consists of separate Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan units on the northern side of the channel connecting Lake Macatawa with Lake Michigan. It is often the most visited state park in Michigan, receiving between 1.5 and 2 million visitors annually.
Cheboygan State Park is a public recreation area covering 1,250 acres (510 ha) on the shores of Lake Huron in Cheboygan County, Michigan, United States. The state park offers views of the Fourteen Foot Shoal Light and the remains of the 1859 Cheboygan Point Light plus a distant view of the Poe Reef Light, some six miles to the northeast.
Harrisville State Park is a public recreation area covering 107 acres (43 ha) on the shore of Lake Huron off U.S. Route 23 in Harrisville and Harrisville Township, Alcona County, Michigan. The state park contains more than 100 acres of heavily forested land as well as a mile-long sandy beach. It is considered an important location for birders, with large and varied migratory populations of warblers and other song birds. The park is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Walter J. Hayes State Park is a public recreation area covering 654 acres (265 ha) on the southeast corner of Wamplers Lake in the Irish Hills region of the state of Michigan. Most of the state park lies within Lenawee County with a small portion extending into Jackson and Washtenaw counties in the Round Lake area. The park offers access to 796-acre (322 ha) Wamplers Lake and completely surrounds 100-acre (40 ha) Round Lake, which connects to Wamplers Lake via a channel navigable by smaller boats. Other scenic lakes including Evans Lake and Sand Lake as well as chains of smaller lakes lie nearby. The park is traversed by Michigan Route 124 north of its intersection with US Highway 12.
P. H. Hoeft State Park is a public recreation area on the shores of Lake Huron, four miles (6.4 km) northwest of Rogers City on US 23 in Presque Isle County, Michigan. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
William Mitchell State Park is a public recreation area covering 334 acres (135 ha) within the city limits of Cadillac in northern lower Michigan. The state park is located between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac. The historic Clam Lake Canal, approximately one-third of a mile in length, connects the two lakes and runs directly through the park. Dug in 1873 at the direction of city father George A. Mitchell, the canal allowed felled trees to be floated from Lake Mitchell to lumber mills on Lake Cadillac.
Onaway State Park is a public recreation area covering 158 acres (64 ha) on the southeast shore of Black Lake in North Allis Township, Presque Isle County, Michigan. The state parks sits at the end of M-211 five miles north of Onaway. It contains sand and cobblestone beaches, large rock outcroppings, a campground, and nature trail highlighting a diversity of trees. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Otsego Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering 62 acres (25 ha) on the southeast shore of Otsego Lake in Otsego Lake Township, Otsego County, Michigan.
Port Crescent State Park is a public recreation area on Lake Huron five miles (8.0 km) southwest of Port Austin in Huron County at the tip of The Thumb of Michigan. The state park covers 640 acres (260 ha) along state route M-25 in Hume Township. The park occupies the site of Port Crescent, a ghost town which once stood at the mouth of the Pinnebog River. The park was designated a Michigan "dark sky preserve" in 2012.
Albert E. Sleeper State Park is a public recreation area on Lake Huron in Lake Township, Huron County, Michigan. The state park encompasses 723 acres (293 ha) four miles northeast of Caseville, close to the tip of The Thumb of Michigan.
Tawas Point State Park is a public recreation area located on Lake Huron in Northern Michigan near the city of East Tawas, Michigan. The state park encompasses 183 acres (74 ha) at the end of a sand spit that forms Tawas Bay. It has been referred to as the "Cape Cod of the Midwest" and is a notable bird-watching site. The park is home to the Tawas Point Light, which, although it has been remodeled several times, serves as the sole representative of a true Victorian-era style station built on the Great Lakes.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan fo9unded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission. Since 2023, the Director is Scott Bowen. The DNR has about 1,400 permanent employees, and over 1,600 seasonal employees.
Proud Lake State Recreation Area is a state-managed public park and recreation area located in Commerce Township, Oakland County, Michigan, near Wixom. It is under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The recreation area has a total area of 3,030 acres (12.3 km2) and offers various outdoor activities including 20 miles (32 km) of hiking trails, cross-country skiing, fishing in the Huron River, hunting, canoeing, and picnicking. A campground has 130 campsites and a 24-person cabin for rent.
Pinckney State Recreation Area is a Michigan state recreation area in Dexter, Sylvan and Lyndon Townships, Washtenaw County and Putnam and Unadilla Townships, Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park is 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) and sits at an elevation of 922 feet (281 m). The park is connected to the nearby Waterloo State Recreation Area by the 35-mile (56 km) Waterloo–Pinckney Trail. Pinckney State Recreation Area is open for year-round recreation including hiking, fishing, swimming, hunting and a variety of winter sports.
Rifle River State Recreation Area is a state park located on the upper reaches of the Rifle River within the Au Sable State Forest in Ogemaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Covering 4,449 acres (1,800 ha), the area provides a variety of recreational opportunities, including boating, canoeing, hiking, hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing, biking, and swimming.
