Coming in at Number Eight, on the eastern edge of Lake Michigan, the 1300-acre Muskegon State Park is listed as a premier destination for winter recreation.
It has extensive trails for cross-country skiing, fat-tire biking and hiking through forests and dunes along with an adventure sports park and more, says Pat Whalen, Plainwell District Supervisor with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources that oversees state parks.
“Multiple campgrounds so there's an opportunity there to get out. A lot of people look at camping as being a warm weather sport, but there's a lot of people out there that enjoy taking a camper or even a tent out in the in the winter.”
The park offers some unique attractions like a public luge track, one of only a few in North America where visitors can experience Olympic-style sliding under professional guidance.
The National Geographic article also notes the park’s Universal Accessibility program as a standout feature, with specialized adaptive equipment to allow people of all abilities to participate such as adaptive luge sleds and all-terrain wheelchairs designed for snow.
“They've made some great advancements in accessibility for their dual zip line, for the ski trails, for the sledding hill, archery range. The luge itself is accessible.”
Publicity from the Nat Geo article is welcome, but Whalen says word is already out about Muskegon State Park being a great place to visit.
“They have about roughly 900,000 visitors to Muskegon State Park. And that includes the folks that are visiting the luge and adventure sports park as well, but always room for more.”
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