Muskegon State park was our first stop in our weeklong road trip and it offered the best sandy beaches and most hiking trails that we came across on our journey. Muskegon State Park is located on the beach of Lake Michigan just west of Muskegon and it offers over 14 miles of trails to hike. The entrance fee to use the park for the day and to hike is $6, or you can buy an annual pass for $24 Request a map of trails when paying for your pass and choose your pleasure, hiking through the woods, in the sand on the dunes or along the lakeshore. One of the trails even leads to a lookout point above a scenic lake.
Getting there; from Muskegon Michigan head north to North Muskegon along Lakeshore Drive to the park. Or use the address to find your personal directions: 3560 Memorial Drive, North Muskegon, 49445. Click here for park website or here for additional map information.
The Journey; We hike often in Colorado and wanted to choose a hike that was different from our norm. We decided to take the Sand Dunes trails along the beach for a long walk. The trail was very sandy and continued through the woods under the trees and then out in the sun on the bluffs above the beach. We hiked like this for a few miles before turning and taking the same trail back around to spend some time with the family. Along this trail we did not find any markers or trail maps along the way, however, I did see trail signs at other trails within the park. It was easy to keep our bearings with the lake nearby and we walked until we reached the Channel dividing the lake, you cannot get around the channel from the state park and this is where we turned back around. There is a lighthouse that can be seen in the distance, but requires a drive or walk to the other side of the channel along the bridge (not via the beach) to reach the peninsula and lighthouse walk. 
We enjoyed hiking up the sand dunes then running down the other side to get back to our campsite and to spend more time with Josh’s family. Had we been by ourselves, we would have explored the trails a little more. However, just walking in sand is difficult, and we were able to get in a good workout, plus swimming and playing soccer with the competitive Mason family on the beach. It was a welcome change from Colorado but we still love our Rocky Mountains.
The next day we hiked at Brevort Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and continued west from that point through Wisconsin to Minnesota for hiking and camping on the Mississippi River.
Check out my blog post for more information about the campground and fees.
Check out my blog post for more information about the campground and fees.
Click below to get personalized map and directions by clicking on the white text box below.
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