Craig Lake State Park
| Craig Lake State Park | |
|---|---|
  Location in Michigan  Craig Lake State Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Spurr Township, Baraga County, Michigan, United States |
| Nearest city | Marquette, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 46°36′22″N 88°11′11″W / 46.60611°N 88.18639°W[1] |
| Area | 9,732 acres (3,938 ha) |
| Elevation | 1,706 feet (520 m) [1] |
| Established | 1967 [2] |
| Administered by | Michigan Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Michigan State Park |
| Website | Official website  |
Craig Lake State Park is a remote public recreation area covering 9,732 acres (3,938 ha) in Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan. The state park has several lakes that are accessible only by foot or paddling.[3]
History
[edit]The property was once the private preserve of Fred Miller, president of the Miller Brewing Company. Miller built cabins that are still in use and named three of the area's lakes after his children Teddy, Craig, and Claire. After Miller's death in 1954, the state, which already owned land in the vicinity, was able to purchase more than two thousand additional acres from his estate in 1956.[4][5][6]
The park grew by nearly 1,300 acres (530 ha) in 2022 when the U.P. Land Conservancy gifted three parcels of pristine highlands wilderness formally known as the Peshekee Headwaters Nature Preserve to the park.[7]
Activities and amenities
[edit]The park's rugged hiking trails include an eight-mile (13 km) loop around Craig Lake and a seven-mile (11 km) stretch of the North Country National Scenic Trail. The park also offers rustic camping, fishing for muskellunge and northern pike, hunting, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.[3]
Nearby protected areas include McCormick Wilderness and two areas owned by The Nature Conservancy: Wilderness Lakes Reserve and Slate River Timberlands.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Craig Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Craig Lake State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Lowe, Ken (June 5, 1970). "Craig Lake State Park to be wilderness area". The Evening News. Sault Ste. Maria, Mich. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Pepin, John (December 1, 2017). "Outdoors provides break from holiday madness". The Mining Journal. Marquette, Mich. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Bingham, Emily (September 19, 2019). "Tragedy gave Michigan its most remote state park on lake named after Miller beer heir". MLive. Advance Local Media. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ "Craig Lake State Park". UP Land Conservancy. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ "The Nature Conservancy acquires over 10,000 acres in U.P." Gray Local Media. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Craig Lake State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Craig Lake State Park Map Michigan Department of Natural Resources
