I’ve visited more than 60 of Michigan’s State Parks in my lifetime. Along the way, I’ve learned that all of the parks have their own personality – or lack of personality, as it were…
How did I come up with these “unofficial nicknames?” Well, I’ve gleaned this information from my own firsthand experience in these parks – and from what I’ve learned from other people who’ve visited these parks.
Note, this is not a complete state parks list, but a list of places visitors can camp or rent lodging.

Unofficial Nicknames of Michigan State Parks That I Just Made Up…
- Algonac State Park – Mosquito Central – But Nice Freighter Views
- Aloha State Park – It’s Not In Hawaii, But You Should Totally Wear a Lei Here Anyway
- Bald Mountain Recreation Area – Kevorkian Patients Loved This Place To Death!
- Baraga State Park – Pit Stop To The Keweenaw
- Bay City State Park – It’s Close To Saginaw – But You…Don’t Want To Go To Saginaw
- Bewabic State Park – Didn’t Make It To Porkies Today, So You Can Stop Here For the Night!
- Brighton Recreation Area – If You Can’t Find Something To Do Here, Then Hell…We Give Up…
- Brimley State Park – Freighters! And the Soo! Also a Casino Nearby!
- Burt Lake State Park – You’re Almost To The Bridge (Nobody Likes a Quitter)
- Cheboygan State Park – Cheaper Than Mackinaw City Hotel Room
- Clear Lake State Park – Heart of the Sinkhole District
- Craig Lake State Park – There’s A Lake Named For A Beer Here
- Fayette Historic State Park – Cool Old Buildings and Stuff
- Fisherman’s Island State Park – Is It An Island? Or A Peninsula?
- Fort Custer Recreation Area – Mosquito Central Of The West
- Fort Wilkins Historic State Park – More Cool Old Buildings – And Civil War Uniforms!
- Grand Haven State Park – Parking Lot In The Sand
- Harrisville State Park – Where’s The Beach?
- Hartwick Pines State Park – Smells Like Pine-Sol
- Hayes State Park – Overflow Parking For Michigan International Speedway
- Highland Recreation Area – Dodge Brothers Partied Here
- Hoeft State Park – Be Sure To Jump Head First Into the Rock Quarry (But Check Out the Awesome Beach Here First)
- Hoffmaster State Park – Is There A Beach Here Anymore?
- Holland State Park – You Can Party Here…Just Not Drink – Also Tulips?
- Holly Recreation Area – It’s Close To Flint and It’s Pretty And All, But You Really Don’t Want To Go Anywhere Near Flint…
- Indian Lake State Park – Yay, You Made It Over the Bridge! Now Rest Up A bit…
- Interlochen State Park – Hear Band Kids Practicing All Day
- Ionia State Recreation Area – Where Is This Place Exactly?
- Island Lake Recreation Area – Dodge Brothers Also Partied Here
- Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park – Noise, Noise, Noise!
- Lake Hudson Recreation Area – Bring A Long Extension Cord
- Leelanau State Park – End Of All Things
- Ludington State Park – Good Luck Getting In Here!
- McLain State Park – Behold Erosion In All Of Its Glory!
- Mears State Park – Another Parking Lot in the Dunes – But the Beach is Pretty And You Can Drink Here!
- Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area -Ask About The Swimmer’s Itch
- Mitchell State Park – Stuck In The Middle of…Cadillac
- Muskallonge Lake State Park – Muskallonge Is A Fish, Right?
- Muskegon State Park – Cheap Michigan Adventure Lodging
- Negwegon State Park – Nude Beach!
- Newaygo State Park – Not Much To Do, But The Sites Are Big!
- North Higgins Lake State Park – Don’t Ask What They Did To Get Rid Of the Ducks (And The Swimmer’s Itch)
- Onaway State Park – Be Sure To Look for the Metal Washington Head!
- Orchard Beach State Park – Million Steps To The Beach (Wait There’s No Beach Anymore)
- Ortonville Recreation Area – Where Is This Again?
- Otsego Lake State Park – The Freeway Noise Is Like White Noise!
- Petoskey State Park – The Petoskey Stones Are Mostly Picked Over, But You Could Get Lucky
- Pinckney Recreation Area – Be Sure To Get Some Ice Cream… In Hell!
- Pontiac Lake Recreation Area – Is There Any Reason To Go Anywhere Near Pontiac?
- Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park – So Much More Than Just Lake In The Clouds
- Port Crescent State Park – Yay, Your Mind Numbing Road Trip Through The Thumb Is Done!
- Proud Lake Recreation Area – It Has the Huron River – And Not Much Else…
- Rifle River Recreation Area – Visit Us During Trumpeter Swan Mating Season!
- Seven Lakes State Park – Be Sure To Count Them All! There Might Be An Eighth Lake They Missed!
- Silver Lake State Park – Got Dune Buggy?
- Sleeper State Park – Cheap Lodging For Cheeseburger Festival
- Sleepy Hollow State Park – Sorry, No Headless Horseman Here…
- South Higgins Lake State Park – The “Party” Side Of Higgins Lake
- Sterling State Park – Lovely Nuclear Reactor Views!
- Straits State Park – Watch Big Mac All Night Long!
- Tahquamenon Falls State Park – Little Falls, Big Falls, Five Million Steps To See Them
- Tawas Point State Park – Cape Cod of the Midwest, But No Kennedys, So There’s That…
- Tippy Dam Recreation Area – No Shortcut To Get Here…drive 10 Miles To Get Around The Dam First!
- Twin Lakes State Park – When You Have Family In Houghton, But Don’t Want To Stay With Them…
- Van Riper State Park – When You’re Not Rugged Enough To Go to Craig Lake State Park, Come Here Instead! Also They Have Wi-Fi!
- Waterloo Recreation Area – Couldn’t Escape If You Wanted To
- Warren Dunes State Park – Be Sure To Drink In the Intoxicating Lake Michigan Views, Since You Can’t Drink Anything Intoxicating Here
- Warren Woods State Park – Fall Asleep Here And Dream of Old Timey Corsets
- Wells State Park – You Can’t See Escanaba In The Moonlight From Here, But You’re Pretty Close!
- Wilderness State Park – Good Luck Getting A Spot On The Water
- Wilson State Park – Freeway Stop…Not Much Else
- Yankee Springs Recreation Area – When You See The Rednecks Who Like To Camp Here, You’ll Understand Why Booze is Verboten
- Young State Park – Check Out the Car Ferry In Ironton!