View from the Dune Top: P. J. Hoffmaster Park

I don’t know why the DNR hasn’t constructed an escalator to the dune overlook at P. J. Hoffmaster Park. No doubt it was just an oversight on the part of the planners, but it’s one I wish they’d correct, because trudging the stairway all the way to the top of that ridiculously tall sand mountain [...]

Images of Grand Mere

All along the west coast of Lower Michigan, from its southern shores to its windy northern points, a vast tract of sandy beaches and dunes has created a landscape like no other—austere, often otherworldly, always beautiful. Swimmers, sun worshipers, and kite fliers use much of it to good advantage, crowding the state parks along Lake [...]

Beyond the Blockhouse: Muskegon State Park

A hobbit trail leads to the Bog Bench at Muskegon State Park. To be sure, there are many hobbit trails that wind through the wooded back dunes north of Muskegon, but this one is special. From its trail head at the storied Blockhouse that overlooks Lake Michigan and all points surrounding, it descends into a [...]