Otsego Lake State Park

Just off of I-75 south of Gaylord, but nothing to write home about (or Blog about?).  
Remember to click on the name of the state park to read this on the blog.  And click on the pictures to see them bigger.

😊 = Good
😐 = Okay
😞 = Lousy

Bathrooms  😞

Looks impressive right?  Don't be fooled!  It's one of those environmentally friendly bathrooms, which basically means they let a bunch of weeds grow up all around it and the showers have NO WATER PRESSURE!  Did I say that loud enough?  There is not enough pressure to get the sand off your body, let alone get the soap out of your hair.  Seriously.  And the water is cold on top of that.  Have you even been standing in a public shower, hair soapy, wet, and frantically pressing the meter button to turn back on, only for the measly dribble that comes out?     

Playground  😐

Literally one swing set and one slide.  There is a basketball court, and several volleyball courts.  

Beach/Swimming   😐

The beach is decent enough, with nice sand.  It's the lake that is disappointing.  Warm, but dirty.  With lots of stuff floating on the surface with nowhere to go. 

Fishing and boating are big here.  The campground has lots of these stairs that go right to the water, so I can hop on a boat or a jet ski super conveniently (my yacht doesn't fit on this lake).   

P.S. This is the only picture of me in this blog because I couldn't get all of the shampoo out of my hair...

Dog Beach   😐

Not really a beach, but at least a place to take your dog swimming.  All of the steps were a little too much for Taffy.  

  

Worst thing about this park:

The showers!!!

Best thing about this park:

The views from your campsite.

What else is there to do:

Eat.  Some of you have been asking what Barbie eats when she is camping.  This is Chicken Pizza Packets, gotta love the clean up on the foil dinners! 

There is a camp store that sells snacks, ice cream and bait.  They also rent paddle boards and kayaks.  

Want more information?

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=482&type=SPRK

Want to camp there?

https://www.midnrreservations.com/OTSEGOLAKESTATEPARK

Mears State Park

It's like a giant sand box right on Lake Michigan in Pentwater, south of Ludington. 
(Just click on the pictures to get a closer view)

😊 = Good
😐 = Okay
😞 = Lousy

Bathrooms  😐 = Okay

I struggled with the rating on this one.  The bathrooms themselves are fine, updated and similar to other parks.  Bottom line is it's a very heavily used park and they can't always seem to keep up with the cleaning.  Plus there just aren't enough showers.  Weekdays are better than weekends.  

Playground  😊 = Good

Great playground with the rubberized surface.  Right on the beach.  Another swing set is located next to the bathroom as well.  

Beach/Swimming  😊 = Good

It just doesn't get any better than this!

Eat your heart out Malibu Barbie! You can have LA with the smog and traffic, 

I have Lake Michigan! 

Dog Beach  😊 = Good

Taffy says it's the best dog beach ever!  

I love that it's just part of the regular beach, and I can hang out there with her and read a book.  Or, maybe shade is better.  I saw this chick reading on top of the dune in the shade and it looked nice!

Worst thing about this park:  

It's basically a parking lot in the sand.  Super tight sites.  

Best thing about this park:

Sand and sunsets!

What else is there to do:

Rent a paddle-board from the beach concession stand.

Hike the 1 mile Old Baldy trail, there is a great downhill dune run at the end.

Walk into downtown Pentwater for dinner or ice cream.

Take a fishing charter in Pentwater.

Want more information?

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/details.aspx?id=470&type=SPRK

Want to camp there?

https://www.midnrreservations.com/

Mitchell State Park

Right on the canal between Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell in Cadillac, Michigan.  Entrance is right next to Burger King and there is a well worn trail sneaking into the back parking lot.  We joked about that the entire time we were there.  (It was tempting, but I did not eat there!)

😊 = Good
😐 = Okay
😞 = Lousy

Bathrooms   😊

Very clean!  There is one new building and one that is still old school.  

Playground  😊

There were several playgrounds and lots more if you venture around the lake.  Fortunately nobody was at this one when I went to check it out.  Sometimes I get strange looks from people.  

Beach/Swimming  😐

There are swimming beaches on both lakes, both are pretty small.  This one is Lake Mitchell.  It is across the street from the park, but you walk under the street along the canal, so no worries about traffic.  

Dog Beach  😞

There were no dog beaches in the park, but both lakes had a lot of open access areas that were unclaimed for any purpose.  Taffy and I mostly sat on the campsite and watched the boats go down the canal.  

Worst thing about this park:

Noise at night!  Semi's go over the bridge of the canal all night and it echoes in the underpass.  Might not be as much of an issue if you camp further in, we were right on the canal. 

Best thing about this park: 

Fishing.  If you have a boat you can fish in either lake, using the canal to get back and forth.  If you don't have a boat you can fish from several fishing docks, piers and even the canal.  

What else is there to do:

There is a fantastic 7.5 mile bike ride around Lake Cadillac.  You even go through part of downtown and pass some additional day parks.  
Across the canal is the State Park Hunting & Fishing Center.  They have super cool programs like archery, fishing instructions (how to tie knots, cast, and different bait), even pellet gun shooting.  



Want more information?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_State_Park

Want to camp there?
https://www.midnrreservations.com/Home.aspx