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…

1. Algonac State Park – Mosquito Central – But Nice Freighter Views
2. Aloha State Park – It’s Not In Hawaii, But You Should Totally Wear a Lei Here Anyway
3. Bald Mountain Recreation Area – Kevorkian Patients Loved This Place To Death!
4. Baraga State Park – Pit Stop To The Keweenaw
5. Bay City State Park – It’s Close To Saginaw – But You…Don’t Want To Go To Saginaw
6. Bewabic State Park – Didn’t Make It To Porkies Today, So You Can Stop Here For the Night!
7. Brighton Recreation Area – If You Can’t Find Something To Do Here, Then Hell…We Give Up…
8. Brimley State Park – Freighters! And the Soo! Also a Casino Nearby!
9. Burt Lake State Park – You’re Almost To The Bridge (Nobody Likes a Quitter)
10. Cheboygan State Park – Cheaper Than Mackinaw City Hotel Room
11. Clear Lake State Park – Heart of the Sinkhole District
12. Craig Lake State Park – There’s A Lake Named For A Beer Here
13. Fayette Historic State Park – Cool Old Buildings and Stuff
14. Fisherman’s Island State Park – Is It An Island? Or A Peninsula?
15. Fort Custer Recreation Area – Mosquito Central Of The West
16. Fort Wilkins Historic State Park – More Cool Old Buildings – And Civil War Uniforms!
17. Grand Haven State Park – Parking Lot In The Sand
18. Harrisville State Park – Where’s The Beach?
19. Hartwick Pines State Park – Smells Like Pine-Sol
20. Hayes State Park – Overflow Parking For Michigan International Speedway
21. Highland Recreation Area – Dodge Brothers Partied Here
22. Hoeft State Park – Be Sure To Jump Head First Into the Rock Quarry (But Check Out the Awesome Beach Here First)
23. Hoffmaster State Park – Is There A Beach Here Anymore?
24. Holland State Park – You Can Party Here…Just Not Drink – Also Tulips?
25. 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…
26. Indian Lake State Park – Yay, You Made It Over the Bridge! Now Rest Up A bit…
27. Interlochen State Park – Hear Band Kids Practicing All Day
28. Ionia State Recreation Area – Where Is This Place Exactly?
29. Island Lake Recreation Area – Dodge Brothers Also Partied Here
30. Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park – Noise, Noise, Noise!
31. Lake Hudson Recreation Area – Bring A Long Extension Cord
32. Leelanau State Park – End Of All Things
33. Ludington State Park – Good Luck Getting In Here!
34. McLain State Park – Behold Erosion In All Of Its Glory!
35. Mears State Park – Another Parking Lot in the Dunes – But the Beach is Pretty And You Can Drink Here!
36. Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area -Ask About The Swimmer’s Itch
37. Mitchell State Park – Stuck In The Middle of…Cadillac
38. Muskallonge Lake State Park – Muskallonge Is A Fish, Right?
39. Muskegon State Park – Cheap Michigan Adventure Lodging
40. Negwegon State Park – Nude Beach!
41. Newaygo State Park – Not Much To Do, But The Sites Are Big!
42. North Higgins Lake State Park – Don’t Ask What They Did To Get Rid Of the Ducks (And The Swimmer’s Itch)
43. Onaway State Park – Be Sure To Look for the Metal Washington Head!
44. Orchard Beach State Park – Million Steps To The Beach (Wait There’s No Beach Anymore)
45. Ortonville Recreation Area – Where Is This Again?
46. Otsego Lake State Park – The Freeway Noise Is Like White Noise!
47. Petoskey State Park – The Petoskey Stones Are Mostly Picked Over, But You Could Get Lucky
48. Pinckney Recreation Area – Be Sure To Get Some Ice Cream… In Hell!
49. Pontiac Lake Recreation Area – Is There Any Reason To Go Anywhere Near Pontiac?
50. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park – So Much More Than Just Lake In The Clouds
51. Port Crescent State Park – Yay, Your Mind Numbing Road Trip Through The Thumb Is Done!
52. Proud Lake Recreation Area – It Has the Huron River – And Not Much Else…
53. Rifle River Recreation Area – Visit Us During Trumpeter Swan Mating Season!
54. Seven Lakes State Park – Be Sure To Count Them All! There Might Be An Eighth Lake They Missed!
55. Silver Lake State Park – Got Dune Buggy?
56. Sleeper State Park – Cheap Lodging For Cheeseburger Festival
57. Sleepy Hollow State Park – Sorry, No Headless Horseman Here…
58. South Higgins Lake State Park – The “Party” Side Of Higgins Lake
59. Sterling State Park – Lovely Nuclear Reactor Views!
60. Straits State Park – Watch Big Mac All Night Long!
61. Tahquamenon Falls State Park – Little Falls, Big Falls, Five Million Steps To See Them
62. Tawas Point State Park – Cape Cod of the Midwest, But No Kennedys, So There’s That…
63. Tippy Dam Recreation Area – No Shortcut To Get Here…drive 10 Miles To Get Around The Dam First!
64. Twin Lakes State Park – When You Have Family In Houghton, But Don’t Want To Stay With Them…
65. 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!
66. Waterloo Recreation Area – Couldn’t Escape If You Wanted To
67. Warren Dunes State Park – Be Sure To Drink In the Intoxicating Lake Michigan Views, Since You Can’t Drink Anything Intoxicating Here
68. Warren Woods State Park – Fall Asleep Here And Dream of Old Timey Corsets
69. Wells State Park – You Can’t See Escanaba In The Moonlight From Here, But You’re Pretty Close!
70. Wilderness State Park – Good Luck Getting A Spot On The Water
71. Wilson State Park – Freeway Stop…Not Much Else
72. Yankee Springs Recreation Area – When You See The Rednecks Who Like To Camp Here, You’ll Understand Why Booze is Verboten
73. Young State Park – Check Out the Car Ferry In Ironton!