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Duck Lake State Park

Bird's eye view of land, water, bridge and canal

Duck Lake State Park

The DNR is in the process of developing a new general management plan for Duck Lake State Park in Muskegon County. The process typically takes one year to complete and is in the beginning stages. The project is facilitated by Beckett & Raeder Inc., of Ann Arbor. Public and stakeholder input will be a critical part of the process.

A park's general management plan defines a long-range (10- to 20-year) planning and management strategy to protect and preserve the site’s natural and cultural resources and provide access to land- and water-based public recreation and educational opportunities.

About the park

The park is a popular day-use park located on the shores of Lake Michigan and Duck Lake, with a shallow channel connecting the two. The park features towering dunes on the lakeshore with a mixture of mature forests, pine plantations and pockets of open meadows inland. There's water access, a boat launch, kayak rentals, a picnic area and shelter, and opportunities for paddling, fishing, hiking, hunting and cross-county skiing on the park’s 7 miles of natural surface trails. The forest community in the park provides critical stopover and nesting habitat for migratory birds, including the Cerulean and hooded warblers. 

Public input

To help develop the draft plan, visitors, local community members, stakeholders and others interested in sharing their opinions, ideas and experiences are invited to participate in an online public survey. The survey is available through Sept. 30.

Take public survey »

The next step will be to complete the draft for a new general management plan, which will be available for public review in spring 2024.

Resources

Contact

For more information, contact Debbie Jensen, park management plan administrator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, at JensenD1@Michigan.gov.