If you are looking for a hike that offers sandy beaches, lake views, and can be completed in a couple of hours, Port Crescent State Park has what you are looking for.
Located in Michigan’s upper thumb, Port Crescent State Park is made up of 640 acres, 3 miles of which are on Lake Huron shoreline. Along with hiking trails, the park offers a modern waterfront campground, overnight lodging options, a dark sky preserve, and the Pinnebog River.
We visited the park to check out the three trails.
The Trails
Port Crescent State Park offers three trails. The day-use trail (2.3 miles), the dunes nature trail (0.75 miles), and the organization area trail (2.5 miles).
Our original intent was to hike the day use trail but due to the lack of signs and the large amount of sand, once we found the correct trail, we decided to stick to the dunes nature trail.
This was a short but pretty hike through dune ecosystems. We wandered through tall dune grass and a grove of jackpines. This trail had a little bit of everything. Including some beautiful views of Lake Huron and an observation area for the night sky.
There were some faults, however.
The signage marking the beginning of the trail wasn’t viewable from the trailhead. And of course, there was no service. My fault for not being prepared when we arrived at the trailhead.
We did eventually find the signs – once we started hiking.
There were also nature information boards along this route that had long faded away from the hot sun. Some we could barely read while others were entirely gone. From what I gathered, they described the type of plants and animals that live in the area.
The entire trail system is short enough to enjoy within a couple of hours, depending on your hiking ability. If you are in the area, I’d recommend checking them out.
As long as you enjoy sand, that is.
More information can be found at Michigan Department of Natural Resources.