Roadside parks on Michigan's state highways are opening for the season
Roadside parks operated by the Michigan Department of Transportation are reopening for the season, state officials said.
MDOT maintains 85 roadside parks around the state, including ones in Lenaweee and Jackson counties. Some of them operate seasonally, opening in the spring and closing in the fall. Most of these small parks are on rural state highways, featuring scenic views, picnic tables and basic restrooms.
The roadside parks are different from the 61 rest areas, which are sited along interstates and major highways, have modern restrooms and are open 24 hours a day.
April 28 is the first date for public use for the season for most of the roadside parks.
Maintenance and construction work that is still in progress means some of the parks are closed for a couple more weeks. That list includes parks in the counties of Alger, Baraga, Calhoun, Huron, Ingham, Keweenaw and Sanilac counties.