Wilderness State Park, located near Mackinaw City, is home to 26 miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, a vast trail system and unique camping opportunities. Wilderness State Park address is 903 Wilderness Park Drive in Carp Lake Michigan. For more information, click here.
Wilderness State Park has 20-plus miles of trails, a designated swimming and pet-friendly beach and unique camping opportunities.
The park is also a designated dark sky preserve offering stellar views of the sky and is just 9 miles from Headlands Dark Sky Park. Pictures used in this article are owned by the Michigan Parks Service.
From some areas of the park, you can see the 170-year-old Waugoshance Lighthouse (looking west) near the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge (looking east).
The terrain is a mixture of dense coniferous forest and mature hardwood forest, with pockets of open meadows and carpets of wildflowers in the spring. There is an abundance of small ponds mixed in with coniferous wetlands. Please pay attention to trail signage and carry a map.
The park has 11 different named trails, and several different ways to stay including hike in cabin and campsites! You can also enjoy 26 miles of sandy shoreline stretching along Lake Michigan, including Temperance and Waugoshance islands located off the tip of Waugoshance Point.
There is a designated swim area near the picnic area (just east of the headquarters building) that includes an accessible parking area, vault toilet and walkway to the water. An additional designated swim area is found in the modern campground’s west loop. A beach wheelchair is available to borrow from the campground host (campsite #416). Wilderness State Park, located just 11 miles west of Mackinaw City Michigan, is home to 26 miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.
For more of the best parks and Amazing Locations in Michigan, click here. For the best nearby lodging and campgrounds, click here. For a listing of family activities, click here.
