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Big Sable Point Lighthouse, located in the northern area of the Ludington State Park, will be closed to the public during state park construction.
HAMLIN TOWNSHIP — The temporary closure of much of the Ludington State Park is on schedule to take place Tuesday, Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day. The closure was announced by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources last February.
According to Jim Gallie, Ludington State Park manager, the closure will affect the area north of the Big Sable River.
“This means that camping, hiking trails, picnic areas, the playground, boat launch and other amenities north of the Big Sable River will be closed to the public,” Gallie said.
Trails south of the river will remain open. This includes the Skyline Trail, the south trails, the trails off of Piney Ridge Road, and the boardwalks along the south side of the river. The three miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan, from “First Curve” to the bridge over the Big Sable, will also be open.
“Amenities will be very limited,” Gallie said. “A vault toilet is available in the Skyline Trail parking lot, but other facilities will not be open.”
Gallie said the entrance booth will be staffed during daylight hours to ensure that people do not enter the park.
“Vehicles will be able to turn around north of the booth, at this time,” he said. “When construction moves to the entrance area, we will have to shut the booth down at the bridge, requiring vehicles to turn around at the amphitheater.”
Visitors who wish to visit the far northern areas of the park may access the area from the Nordhouse Dunes or by boat on Hamlin Lake. Big Sable Point Lighthouse will be closed during the construction but, again, the area can be visited from hiking from the north.
Gallie said visitors are certainly welcome to visit open areas of the park.
“We encourage visitors to use the southern section of the park, but ask that they carry out what they carry in,” Gallie said. “We also ask that visitors try to limit unnecessary traffic in the area of the bridge to allow construction equipment easy access to the park.”
The park is expected to remain closed for 10 months, with a projected re-opening on July 1, 2025.
Park enhancements are planned including paving the park’s main road and the Hamlin Lake day-use area parking lot, expanding parking at Lake Michigan and warming shelters, and enhancing traffic and pedestrian flow at the park entrance. The Skyline Trail will also be renovated. The projects are being funded by $4.26 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) COVID relief funds provided to the state of Michigan. The state is required to commit to a project with the funds by Dec. 31, 2024 and the projects must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.
“This project will have a lot of heavy equipment and large vehicles coming and going,” Gallie said. “With all the construction activity taking place, we need to ensure that there are no visitors put into harm’s way and that the construction equipment can operate without having to worry about visitors suddenly getting in their way. This will also allow the construction team to operate more efficiently and safely, which might allow the project to end before June 30, 2025.”
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