78 Michigan Parks: Craig Lake State Park #5

Stop 8.

Craig Lake. See this sign?

Yeah, that was the best I could do at this park.  Emily drove us down a long, windy, rocky, dirt road.  The park sign was way far up on the hill, and there was no real spot to pull over, so I figured I'd get a picture at the other end.  Spoilers: didn't happen.

We didn't encounter any traffic, just this logging truck near the entrance.  We spent the rest of the trip checking logging trucks for the batman log!

The view was beautiful!  Old trees, new trees, huge boulders, rock layers.  But it was a seven-mile drive, that took us 50+ minutes!

We were happy to be out of the car, but I didn't manage a very good selfie.

These two were smiley though!

The lake was clear, but had a very red (iron? copper?) bottom.

William was trying to skip some stones, so Emily and I joined in.  I was the only one who managed, and it was just a single hop, but we all got to enjoy a modicum of success.

This was my 'just in case' picture, and it is apropos that I had to use it for this post, as leaving took even longer than getting in, down a worse road!  We stopped at one of the yurts so that Billy could see what it looked like, and there was actually a group camping there! Emily was doing a great job on the dirt road, but it seemed like the road kept deteriorating further and further, and eventually Billy had to take over, so that my car didn't sustain damage underneath!

Billy successfully got us out after another 50+ minutes to go a shorter distance!  There was a single post in the field at the entrance, which might have been the state park sign once upon a time, but there was no official signage at that entrance that we saw.  = (

Craig Lake is officially the least favorite state park out of any we've been to. Unless you love roughing it and really, really, want to be alone, I recommend skipping this one.

later days

A list of our previous visits:

Van Ripper State Park #6

Muskallonge State Park #14
Tahquamenon Falls #15 (round 2!)
Brimley State Park #16
Straits State Park #17
Keith J Charters #33
Sleeper State Park #46
Port Crescent State Park #47
Silver Lake State Park #49
Muskegon State Park #50*
Newaygo State Park #51
PJ Hoffmaster State Park #52
Grand Haven State Park #53
Ionia State Park #54
Sleepy Hollow State Park #55
Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area #56
Lake Port State Park #57
Seven Lakes State Park #58
Holly Recreation Area #59
Algonac #60
Holland State Park #61
Island Park State Recreation Area #63b
Highland Recreation Area #64b
Pontiac Lake Recreation Area #65
Dodge #4 State Park #66a
Bald Mountain State Recreation Area #66b
Maybury State Park #67
Saugatuck Dunes State Park #68
Fort Custer Recreation Area #69
Waterloo Recreation Area #70a
Pickney State Recreation Area #70b
WJ Hays State Park #71
Belle Isle Park #72
Van Buren State Park #73
Grand Mere State Park #74
Warren Dunes State Park #75a
Warren Woods State Park #75b
Lake Hudson Recreation Area #77
Sterling State Park #78
Port Austin State Harbor #Bonus 1
Kal-Haven State Park #Bonus 2
Wagner Falls #Bonus 3
Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park #Bonus 4
Yankee Springs #Fail