• Michigan state parks offer many programs to help you enjoy the state's natural beauty.Water Fall in a Forest with Rock Outcroppings image by Paul Piedra from Fotolia.com
  
  The Michigan Department of Natural Resources maintains a variety of state parks that administer nature programs though the summer for residents and tourists. The programs are free; however a small fee is required to enter the park if you do not have a state issued motor vehicle permit.
  
  

Saginaw Bay Visitor Center

• The Saginaw Bay Visitor Center, located within the Bay City State Recreation Area, features nature programs that will help you understand the importance of Tobico Marsh on the local habitat. As a visitor, you will find the Jennison Exhibit Hall full of information about the marsh which is one of the Great Lakes largest coastal wetland areas. Parts of the marsh have hidden video cameras that allow visitors to view wildlife up close on large screens inside the exhibit hall and a unique computer system showing how the marsh was formed long ago. During summer months guided tours are offered daily on hiking trails that include bird watching and hunting and fishing clinics. You can also explore area nature trails featuring observation towers, displays along the trial describing the unique habitat of the area, and a shoreline boardwalk. The visitor center is operated by the Department of Natural Resources and many special events are scheduled throughout the summer.
  
  Bay City Recreation Area
  3582 State Park Drive
  Bay City, MI 48706
  989-667-0717
  michigandnr.com
  
  

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

• Located across 50,000 acres in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Tahquamenon Falls State Park features the one of the country's largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. The Department of Natural Resources supervises this state park as a wilderness area giving you the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of many areas that have been left untouched by man. While visiting the park you can enjoy a full slate of presentations given by expert naturalists during the summer; like aquatic programs along rivers, learning to identify various animal tracks, a unique course featuring creatures that come out at night, and many other attractions for children and adults. Daily guided hikes are offered on the parks 40 plus miles of trails where you can view moose, bears, wolves, and over 100 types of birds, all in their natural habitat. Tahquamenon Falls State Park maintains a year round schedule of activities.
  
  Tahquamenon Falls State Park
  41382 West M 123
  Paradise, MI 49768
  906-492-3415
  michigandnr.com
  
  

Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center

• The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center is part of the P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, located along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The parks main attraction is tall sand dunes you can witness sprawling along the shoreline. Families are invited to take part in the many summer programs conducted by expert park staff. The park's most popular educational projects feature frogs and snakes, exploring habitat along streams, and learning about animals that are unique to the sand dunes. People visiting as part of a group are given an opportunity to put together their own nature activities with help from the park's naturalists. You can take part in presentations scheduled weekly through the summer and a variety of special events that happen annually.
  
  P.J. Hoffmaster State Park
  6585 Lake Harbor Road
  Muskegon, MI 49441
  231-798-3711
  michigandnr.com