Yankee Springs State Recreation Area is a state-managed protected area located in Yankee Springs Township in Barry County,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The park is in area. It has 120 rustic, 200 modern and 25 equestrian camping sites, plus two cabins. There are of cross-county ski/hiking trails, of mountain biking trails and of equestrian trails. of the

North Country Trail The North Country Trail (NCT, officially designated the North Country National Scenic Trail) is a long-distance hiking trail in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Northeastern United States, Northeastern United States. The trail exten ...

pass through the park. or more of seasonal two lane roads open to any road legal vehicles and is a popular destination for Enduro Riders. Nine lakes, Gun Lake being the largest, provide fishing, boating and swimming. Points of interest in the park include the Devil's Soupbowl, a glacially carved

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a device specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle''. There are two main types: the ''stovetop kettle'', which uses heat from a cooktop, hob, and the ...

formation, Graves Hill Scenic Overlook, The Pines and

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

(CCC) era buildings. The park hosted the annual

Barry-Roubaix Barry-Roubaix is a classic-style road/off-road cycling race featuring a variety of terrain and surfaces to test cyclists of all skill levels. Named to the Global Cycling Network's ''Top Five Gravel Events'' and ''Nine Coolest Races of 2018'', ...

cycling race for several years, prior to the event moving to Hastings, MI to accommodate a larger number of participants; the race course still traverses parts of the recreation area.

History

In the 1830s, the Yankee Springs area was opened up for homesteading. By the 1930s the land was eroded and depleted from farming. The federal government acquired the land and the CCC began reforesting the area. In 1943 the land was turned over to the State of Michigan and became a park in the state park system.

Facilities and activities

Facilities and activities include a beach area, fishing, boating, hiking, camping, equestrian, permanent

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...

course,

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling (''mountain biking''). Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in r ...

trails, and in winter, cross country ski trails, snowshoeing, and groomed

fatbike A fatbike (also called fat bike, fat tire, fat-tire bike, or snow bike) is an off-road bicycle built to accommodate oversized tyres, typically or larger and rims or wider, designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terra ...

trails.

References

External links

Yankee Springs Recreation Area and Barry State Game Area

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appoint ...

Yankee Springs Camping Reservations
Michigan DNR
Yankee Springs Recreation Area
PackYourGear.com {{authority control Protected areas of Barry County, Michigan Important Bird Areas of Michigan State recreation areas of Michigan Mountain biking venues in the United States