Negwegon State Park
Beachfront along Lake Huron
Map showing the location of Negwegon State Park
Map showing the location of Negwegon State Park
Location in Michigan
Map showing the location of Negwegon State Park
Map showing the location of Negwegon State Park
Negwegon State Park (the United States)
LocationLower Peninsula, Alpena County, Alcona County, Michigan, United States
Nearest cityAlpena, Michigan
Coordinates44°51′22″N 83°19′37″W / 44.85611°N 83.32694°W / 44.85611; -83.32694 [2]
Area4,118 acres (1,666 ha)
Elevation591 feet (180 m)[2]
DesignationMichigan state park
Established1962[3]
AdministratorMichigan Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteNegwegon State Park

Negwegon State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area on Lake Huron lying five miles (8.0 km) southeast of the unincorporated community of Ossineke in Alpena County and Alcona County, Michigan. The state park's 4,118 acres (1,666 ha) occupy the southern tip of Thunder Bay, fourteen miles (23 km) across the water from the city of Alpena. The park includes lowland areas with small ridges, mature pine forest, open meadows, and a long sand beach.[4] It is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources with support from the volunteer "Friends of Negwegon."[5]

History

Archaic period fishing grounds have been found in the vicinity of Negewegon State Park from about 6000-4000 BCE. First purchase of land for the park, then known as Alpena State Park, occurred in 1962.[6] Its name was changed in 1970 at the behest of the local citizenry who thought it appropriate for the park to honor the Ojibwe chieftain known to have hunted and camped in the area.[7] In 2016, Negwegon State Park, Thompson's Harbor State Park, and Rockport State Park were designated as Michigan "dark sky preserves."[8] The Besser Planetarium (from Alpena) hosts celestial viewing events from time to time at the park.

Activities and amenities

The park offers 11 miles (18 km) of hiking trails, primitive camping sites, canoeing, and hunting.[4] The sand road that cuts through the forest and leads to the entrance of the park may require a 4WD/All-wheel drive vehicle. At the boundary between private/county land and state land, the thin sand two-track road, Sand Hill Wilds Road, becomes a very wide groomed gravel road, Negwegon Park Road.

The main hiking trail out of the parking lot
Sand Hill Trail leading to the park's entrance

References

  1. ^ "Negwegon State Park". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Alpena State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Negwegon State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  5. ^ "Friends of Negwegon". Friends of Negwegon State Park. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. ^ "Twenty-Second Biennial Report 1963–1964". State of Michigan Department of Conservation. p. 169. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "Apenndix A: Supporting Analysis for Negwegon State Park" (PDF). State of Michigan Department of Conservation. September 2008. p. A-7. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Jackson, Angie (April 6, 2016). "Michigan designates 3 new dark sky preserves". MLive. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

External links

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Protected areas of Michigan
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