Enjoy the Muskegon Lakeshore All Year Long
Abundant outdoor recreation options allow residents to stay active in any season.
The Muskegon Lakeshore area is a regional destination for outdoor recreation, from camping and water sports to hiking and biking trails. The abundance of beautiful scenery and open-air activities inspires residents and visitors alike to get out and enjoy the fresh air – a natural way to stay active and fit.
Spending time outside surged in popularity in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but with so many alfresco options available, Muskegon, MI residents are sure to continue this trend in 2021 and beyond.
While the area has “rail trails,” or former railroad tracks converted into flat multiuse paths, the development of single-track trails for mountain biking is new.
“It’s catching on in a big way,” says Zac Thommen, owner of CityHub Cyclery. “A few years ago, they started Mosquito Creek – they brought in designers to machine-build trails with features, burms and groomed hard-pack dirt. It’s about 60% done now with two full loops, and they’re adding another 6-8 miles. People are really excited about it.”
Get Your Luge On in Muskegon, MI
Muskegon is also home to the country’s only public luge track (the other two are at Olympic training facilities) at the Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park.
“You take this meandering drive through the most beautiful shoreline drives along Lake Michigan, go through the forest and pop over a hill, and you’re at the park,” says David Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan.
“The folks at the park will show you how to luge, you can get all the equipment and have access to this luge track. It’s adventurous, it’s a blast, it’s accessible, and we can all pretend to be Olympians.”
The park also has a variety of other activities: Winter sports include outdoor pond ice skating and trail cross-country skiing and snow shoeing, while the summer allows for wheel luge, zip lining, archery and geo-caching.
“One of the things I really like about it is that the people are so friendly and don’t make you feel weird if you’re not like a professional athlete,” Lorenz says.
“We should be working on making people feel less intimidated by winter outdoor activities.”
Michigan State Parks Provide Plenty of Outdoor Fun
Michigan state parks are also a boon for outdoor enthusiasts in the region. A few local favorites, such as Duck Lake State Park, Muskegon State Park, and P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, offer camping, biking, hiking, fishing, boating, water sports and beach activities – making Muskegon an ideal place to embrace the great outdoors.
Livability Muskegon Lakeshore Region
This digital edition of the Livability Muskegon Lakeshore Region is sponsored by Express Employment Professionals Muskegon.
