Hoffmaster State Park Closing For Big Upgrades in 2023
Those looking to head to one of West Michigan’s most loved state parks next summer may want to make other plans, as it was recently announced that Hoffmaster State Park will be closed during the summer of 2023 as repairs and upgrades are made. The park was a recipient of American Rescue Plan Act funds that will help make visiting the park an enjoyable experience for everyone in the future. Anyone who has visited the park in the last ten years knows that the park roads have been in dire need of repair of reconstruction for awhile. Bathroom upgrades, parking lot upgrades, campground improvements, and improvements to the Gillette Visitors Center are a few of the things on the project list now that funds are available. Below you can see the full list of projects from the State of Michigan’s DNR site:
A timeline of when closures will begin and which parts of the park will not be accessible was shared on the Facebook page for Hoffmaster State Park on December 16th: “The tentative dates for this project are contingent upon weather, materials, and contractors. Bids have not yet gone out for these projects The first phase to be completed is the day use (main) beach area. The tentative plan is to close the day-use road, organizational campground, and visitor center from April 2023 through July 2023. The construction will begin at the back of the park at the Ski Lot and progress to the main entrance. We will allow access to the beach road until such time the construction needs to take place on the beach roadway and parking lots. Once the project reaches the day use beach road the entire entrance and day use area will close. Once the day use portion of the project is completed, the day use area will reopen. The next phase of construction will begin in the campground. The campground will tentatively close on July 7, 2023, through October 2023. The dates listed above are tentative and we will do our best to provide the most up to date information.”
Hoffmaster State Park’s 1200 acres includes three miles of Lake Michigan beach and 10 miles of trails. Our favorite trails here are the half-mile Dune Overlook trail and the two-mile Homestead Trail. Through much of the summer, the beach here seems less busy than Grand Haven (to the south) and Muskegon (to the north), mostly because of how much room there is for everyone to spread out.
The modern campground has close to 300 sites, we loved camping here in the woods and then making the short walk to the beach. The sand dunes are breathtaking and the sunset views here are incredible. Chris’ kids love the Gillette Sand Dune Visitor’s Center, so seeing upgrades to the building and exhibits there is exciting! One summer of not being able to visit this park seems like a small sacrifice to make to see it preserved for many years to come, and we couldn’t be happier that funds are finally being provided for Hoffmaster State Park!
