National Geographic State Park Guide

National Geographic Guide to the State Parks of the United States, 3rd edition
National Geographic Society
2008

This guidebook describes over 200 state parks and illustrates them with National Geographic's renowned color photographs. Parks are grouped into ten regions-- New England, Middle Atlantic, Southeast, Great lakes, Central Plains, South Central, Southwest, The Rockies, Northwest, Far West-- with color locator maps for each area.

Two of the selected parks are fairly close to Kalamazoo: Hoffmaster State Park and Indiana Dunes State Park. The rest of the parks in the Great Lakes region are within a day's drive and almost all of them have campgrounds.

Nearby Parks

P.J. Hoffmaster State Park
10 miles south of Muskegon, MI on US 31 and Pontaluma Road.
"Many park visitors come to enjoy the beach at the north end of the park, but there are many opportunities for solitude hiking among the wooded sand dunes that have been anchored here by trees that have taken root." Dune Climb Stairway, Gillette Visitor Center, 10 miles of trails, cross-country skiing, 293 campisites, 1183 acres, fee.
P.J. Hoffmaster State Park
6585 Lake Harbor Road
Muskegon, MI 49441


Indiana Dunes State Park
2 miles north of Chesterton,IN on Indiana 49.
"Nestled withing the 14,000 acre Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore this state park holds some of the prize scenary of a nonpareil lakeside landscape, including the highest dunes on the shore, dune 'canyons' blown out by winds off Lake Michigan, and a popular swimming beach." Nature center, Trail 8 to Mount Tom, Trail 9 around Beach House Blowout, smelting (April, May), cross country skiing, 140 campsites, 2182 acres, fee.
Indiana Dunes State Park
1600 N. County Road 25E
Chesterton, IN 46304

Great Lakes State Parks

Michigan
1. P.J. Hoffmaster
2. Hartwick Pines
3. Mackinac Island
4. Fort Wilkins
5. Porcupine Mountains

Indiana
1. Indiana Dunes
2. Brown County
3. Spring Mill
4. Falls of the Ohio

Illinois
1. Starved Rock
2. Mississippi Palisades
3. Giant City
4. Ferne Clyffe
5. Fort Massac

Ohio
1. Maumee Bay
2. Kelley Island
3. Hueston Woods
4. Hocking Hills

Wisconsin
1. Devils Lake
2. Peninsula
3. Rock Island
4. Copper Falls

Minnesota
1. Forestville/Mystery Cave
2. Blue Mounds
3. Tettegoche
4. Itasca
5. Soudan Underground Mine

Available from Amazon, the National Geographic Store, other booksellers and libraries.