Michigan state parks news - May 2023

Looking for a cool new T-shirt, hoodie, sticker or other keepsake?

Great Lakes Proud, a Traverse City-based company, will create and curate lifestyle merchandise and sustainably sourced apparel highlighting Michigan state parks, trails and boating.

The partnership is part of "These Goods are Good for Michigan," a program that recognizes partners who help support state parks through a revenue-sharing agreement from merchandise sales.

Great Lakes Proud will roll out new merchandise all year, with themes around campfires, Tahquamenon Falls, morel mushrooms, tree rings, "Peace, Love, Parks" and other unique designs. Shop the collection!

Several planned improvement projects at state parks are getting underway this spring and summer.

Because of this work, visitors will be able to enjoy new and upgraded camping amenities, park roads, electrical and water distribution systems, and toilet and shower buildings, as well as visitor center enhancements and historic preservation work ? all things that contribute to a better visitor experience.

Before you head to a state park, boating site or trail, it's always a good idea to visit?Michigan.gov/DNRClosures to check the latest closures due to planned improvement projects, repairs and weather-related events.?

Many of the planned projects are made possible through $250 million in federal relief COVID-19 funding ? the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ? while others are funded through Recreation Passport dollars and other grants.

Photo: Tahquamenon Falls State Parks Lower Falls restroom and gift shop improvements.

A pursuit that's been around for decades seems to be growing. Whether you're young or old, towing young kids or with a group of friends, local or traveling, disc golf is an inexpensive and fun outdoor activity.

The premise is simple, and it's played using rules and etiquette much like traditional golf. Throw a disc into a basket and hike through the woods and/or open fields to the next hole. Complexity comes as you perfect your technique to work around trees, lakes and other natural features.?Find 10 state parks with disc golf.

For your first outing, just about any Frisbee will do. But by your second trip, you might be interested in exploring specialized drivers and putters. You may even want to consider ones that that are manufactured in Michigan.

Looking for a new outdoor adventure in Michigan's great outdoors? Although there are 3 million caches found worldwide, we have some of the most unique ones waiting for you in the form of three three geocache tours in Michigan state parks and waterways.

Want to get started? All you really need is a smartphone or handheld GPS unit and a free geocaching.com account. Next, select a cache and its coordinates and set out on your outdoor treasure hunt. Once you navigate to the cleverly hidden container called a geocache, sign the logbook and put the cache back where you found it. Keep in mind that geocaches come in all different shapes, sizes and difficulties.