Saugatuck Dunes State Park
Encyclopedia
Saugatuck Dunes State Park is a 1,120 acre (4.5 km²) Michigan
state park
. It is located on Lake Michigan
between Saugatuck
and Holland
in Allegan County
, Michigan
.
This day-use park features 14 mi (23 km) of hiking trails (some considered difficult) through scenic, stabilized and wooded sand dunes. It also has two miles (3 km) of Lake Michigan beachfront, located a mile (1.6 km) from the parking lot and requiring a semi-strenuous walk to get there. A picnic area is present, but no camping is allowed. A state park permit is required for entry.
Near this park is the state-owned Felt Mansion, which was built by inventor of the comptometer
, Dorr E. Felt, in 1928. This was the Felt family's summer home until 1949, when it was sold to the St. Augustine Seminary and used as housing for young students, and later on, for cloistered nuns. In the 1970s, this building was purchased by the state of Michigan and was used as a state police post, with nearby buildings serving as a prison. The whole is undergoing a restoration project.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
. It is located on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
between Saugatuck
Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 925 at the 2010 census. The city is within Saugatuck Township, but is administratively autonomous....
and Holland
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
in Allegan County
Allegan County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-196* I-196 Business Loop serves the city of Holland.-US highways:* US-31* US-131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-40* M-89* M-179* M-222-Allegan County Intercounty Highways:* A-2* A-37* A-42* A-45-Demographics:...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
This day-use park features 14 mi (23 km) of hiking trails (some considered difficult) through scenic, stabilized and wooded sand dunes. It also has two miles (3 km) of Lake Michigan beachfront, located a mile (1.6 km) from the parking lot and requiring a semi-strenuous walk to get there. A picnic area is present, but no camping is allowed. A state park permit is required for entry.
Near this park is the state-owned Felt Mansion, which was built by inventor of the comptometer
Comptometer
The comptometer was the first commercially successful key-driven mechanical calculator, patented in the USA by Dorr E. Felt in 1887.A key-driven calculator is extremely fast because each key adds or subtracts its value to the accumulator as soon as it is pressed and a skilled operator can enter all...
, Dorr E. Felt, in 1928. This was the Felt family's summer home until 1949, when it was sold to the St. Augustine Seminary and used as housing for young students, and later on, for cloistered nuns. In the 1970s, this building was purchased by the state of Michigan and was used as a state police post, with nearby buildings serving as a prison. The whole is undergoing a restoration project.
External links
- Saugatuck Dunes State Park Michigan Department of Natural ResourcesMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission...
- Saugatuck Dunes State Park Protected Planet (World Database on Protected Areas)