There are a host of beautiful state parks that are perfect for hiking, site seeing, picnicing and more. General information is listed below. If you need a cottage or home to stay in while you enjoy the area, Visit Up North Vacation Rentals has some terrific accommodations. www.visitupnorth.com .Their seasoned staff knows the area well if you need more information.
Leelanau State Park -15310 N. Lighthouse Point Rd. Northport-Located at the tip of the little finger on Leelanau Peninsula. Over 1300 acres are waiting for your visit. Museum,Lighthouse, 8.5 miles of hiking/skiing trails and picnic/playground area.
Traverse City State Park-1132 US 31 North Traverse City-Traverse City State Park is a completely developed 47 acre,urban park that features a quarter mile of sandy beach on the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay.
Kehl Lake Natural Area- Kehl Road Northport-Leelanau Conservancy's www.theconservancy.com/kehl-lake.php 180 acre preserve contains shoreline along the county's last private undeveloped lake. Includes a two mile hiking area.
Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve-Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore www.michiganpreserves.org/manitou.htm The Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve offers divers a variety of Lake Michigan attractions-from historic dock ruins to fascinating shipwrecks of two centuries.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore-9922 Front St. Empire-Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore encompasses a 60 km(35 mile) stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou Islands. Includes forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena. Alligator Trail is three loops of 2-3 mile trails. Horses are permitted on this trail.
Muncie Lake Pathway- Rennie Lake Road Traverse City-11.5 miles of groomed ski, hiking, bike trail. Five loops in trail.
Antrim County Barnes Park-Barnes Park Road M-88 & US 31 Eastport- Located in the northwest lower Michigan on Lake Michigan. Park features camping, 1200' sandy beach, picnic/play area.
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Need a map? Stop in and pick up your free map at  "Visit Up North Vacation Rentals" 441 East Front St. Traverse City.
to enjoy show jumping, hunter classics and dressage to mention a few of the exciting highlights of the horse show. Make sure you include a stop in your vacation plans. Check out their link for more details.
 
It may only be Spring, but now is the time to plan for your visit to Traverse City and the National Cherry Festival July 5-12, 2008. The Cherry Festival is only 22 days away! Visit Up North has condos and cottages available within 20 minutes of downtown. Check out these links for a few ideas. See you soon!