| Wilderness State Park | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Beachfront looking towardsStraits of Mackinac | |
  Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Wilderness State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Bliss Township,Emmet County, Michigan, United States |
| Nearest town | Mackinaw City, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 45°45′30″N85°00′43″W / 45.75833°N 85.01194°W /45.75833; -85.01194[1] |
| Area | 12,800 acres (5,200 ha) |
| Elevation | 584 feet (178 m)[1] |
| Established | 1922 (game reserve); 1927 (state park)[2] |
| Administered by | Michigan Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Michigan state park |
| Website | Official website |
Wilderness State Park is a public recreation area borderingLake Michigan, five miles southwest ofMackinaw City inEmmet County inNorthern Michigan. Thestate park's 12,800 acres (5,200 ha) include 26 miles (42 km) of shoreline, diverse forested dune and swale complexes, wetlands, camping areas, and many miles of hiking trails.[3] The state park is operated by theMichigan Department of Natural Resources, which has, as of 2006, approved a proposal that 4,492 acres (1,818 ha) be officially dedicated as awilderness area.[4] Wilderness State Park was designated a Michigan "dark sky preserve" in 2012.[5]
One of the most prominent physical features of the park isWaugoshance Point, which juts westward into northernLake Michigan. Beyond the tip of the point,Temperance Island andWaugoshance Island are also parts of the state park. Four Lake Michiganlighthouses sit near the park's western boundary. Stations atGrays Reef,Skillagalee Island,Waugoshance, andWhite Shoal warn shipping away from the dangerous reefs and shoals of Waugoshance Point.
The state began acquiring the park's lands in 1896 through purchase and tax reversion proceedings. After the reversion of additional acreage for tax nonpayment in the early years of the twentieth century, the site became the Emmet State Game Refuge in 1922, with the land set aside for the breeding of game birds and other animals. When the game reserve was placed under the administration of the Parks Division in 1927, it officially became Wilderness State Park.[6]
TheCivilian Conservation Corps was active in the park for six years during the 1930s. The corps' workers built various structures, eight miles of trails, a public campground, and four-acre Goose Pond.[6]
The park supports populations of many animals that are part of the traditional image of the northernGreat Lakes ecosystem, includingAmerican black bear,snowshoe hare,beaver,porcupines,bobcats,mink,muskrats, andotter.[3] The park's cobble beach areas provide an excellent habitat for the federally endangeredpiping plover. As of 2002, approximately one-third of Michigan's nesting pairs of piping plovers were found in Wilderness State Park.[4] One of the first sightings ofwolves in theLower Peninsula was reported along the park's shoreline by aCoast Guard pilot in 1997.[7] In 2015, MDNR officials confirmed the presence of wolves in the Lower Peninsula.[8]
The state park offers swimming, picnicking, boat launch, fishing, campgrounds and cabins. The state park contains more than 30 miles (48 km) of trails for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, that include a 10-mile-long (16 km) section of theNorth Country Trail.[3]
