Popular trail gets improvements during 10-month closure of work at Up North State Park

HAMLIN TOWNSHIP, MI – Visitors will find much more than renovated parking lots and roads when this state park reopens next summer.

As contractors work on a $3.2 million project at Ludington State Park, staff are taking on projects that are difficult to complete when the park is full of visitors, said Jim Gallie, park manager.

The 4,300-acre park, nestled between Lakes Michigan and Hamlin, closed the day after Labor Day and is scheduled to reopen July 1.

On the list that deserves special attention during the closure is one of the park’s most popular trails: Lost Lake Trail. The trail includes a boardwalk along the shore of Little Lost Lake and a staircase at the north end of the lake near Beechwood Campground.

Ivar and Kal Lofton walk the Lost Lake Boardwalk in spring 2021 at Ludington State Park in Hamlin Township, Michigan.Justine Lofton | [email protected]

“Some pretty significant boardwalk repairs” are planned for the trail, Gallie said.

A.EXALTED: The Up North State Park trail winds around a small lake and offers scenic views

So far, a crew has completed work on the staircase, which had “movement and movement that you could feel going up the stairs,” he said. It’s gone now.

Michael Lofton, 46, of Ludington, takes his dogs, Kal and Ivar, up a staircase on the Lost Lake Trail at Ludington State Park on Sunday, August 13, 2023.Justine Lofton | [email protected]

The crew reinforced the staircase and landings with more stringers and reinforcements, which made the decks stronger, Gallie said. They also replaced worn and damaged stair treads, decks and railings.

“The staircase is a lot stronger than it was,” he said.

We hope staff will perform maintenance on the boardwalk in the spring, before the park reopens, Gallie said.

A.EXALTED: 1930s Lake Michigan beach house gets upgrades as part of $3 million state park project

Other work during the closure includes maintaining the exterior of the 1930s Beach House on Lake Michigan, beautify the toilets and shower buildings, new fire pits, picnic table repairs and hazardous tree removal, Gallie said.

The closure includes all campgrounds and campsites, all northern trails, Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Lake Michigan Main Beach and Hamlin day-use areas including the beach, Hamlin, boat launch and picnic areas along the Big Sable River. . Almost everything north of the entrance stand is closed while areas south of the stand are open.

Find more details on what’s open here.

Check out Ludington State Park Facebook page for updates.

The $3.2 million project is part of $273 million in funding of the American Rescue Plan, or ARPA, which was made available to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2022 to help address a long list of needs in state parks.

Ludington State Park was previously slated to benefit from $4.26 million in ARPA-funded improvements, which included the reconstruction of Skyline Trail, a popular walk atop a dune ridge. Approximately $1 million in funding was reassigned to projects in other state parks it went over budget. The Skyline Trail project has been postponed.

Ludington State Park is known for its seven miles of sandy Lake Michigan beach, its iconic lighthouse, and a one-mile stretch of the Big Sable River, popular for fishing, boating, and tubing. The park also includes 21 miles of marked trails through wetlands, marshes, dunes and forests, as well as two water trails. Hamlin Lake is popular for recreation including boating, hiking, fishing, boating, and swimming. The park, 8800 M-116 north of Ludington, is particularly in demand for camping. It has three modern campgrounds with 352 campsites.