Michigan State Parks Centennial: Brimley State Park

Home to about 2,000 ft. of sandy shoreline, this legendary park is known for giving campers a good time.

"Brimley State Park is one of the oldest state parks in Michigan,” said Unit Supervisor, Corey Butcher.

Established in 1923, the initial 38 acres of land was gifted to the state by the village of Brimley. Since then, many changes have taken place.

"Throughout the years, we've had different facility upgrades,” said Butcher.

These amenities include 236 modern campsites, a mini cabin, a picnic shelter, an updated playground, not to mention their beautiful shoreline where guests can swim, boat and even fish along Lake Superior.

"It's just a great place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors,” explained Butcher.

Besides these attractions, the famous state park also offers a special treasure just a few miles away.

"Lime Island is located about two and a half miles east of the little town of Raber,” said Butcher. “It's a 930 acre island that sits in the middle of the St. Mary's River, and on Lime Island, we have cabins that are rented by the public. We also have some wooden camping tent platforms."

Visitors also can watch the nearly 1,000 foot freighters pass as they camp outside. Other convenient features include its central location between Sault St. Marie, Tahquamenon Falls and the Straits of Mackinac.

But Butcher says something pretty unique about this particular area is Lake Superior’s temperature.

"Our water tends to be a little bit warmer here, just because we're here at the eastern end of Lake Superior,” he explained.

This is an added bonus for campers since most areas close to Lake Superior are much colder.

But what's even better is that this peaceful area, filled with many-fun activities, is a great in between for campers looking to rest and play.

"It's a good park. There's like two parks. There's a good lake and there's a lot of good activities going on around here,” said Jayce Diotte, a visitor from Sault St. Marie, Ontario.

"It's a laid back park. We don't have extensive trail systems,” explained Park Explorer Guide, Laura Bland. “We don't have big sand dunes or waterfalls. People come here to relax, sit on the beach, watch their kids play in the water and sand, watch the freighters go by and watch the beautiful sunsets."

Butcher and other camp officials hope families and friends will put Brimley State Park on their list of places to go next year.

In the final part of this series on Friday, we take you to Lake Gogebic State Park.