There Are 35 State Parks Abandoned by Michigan – What Happened to Them?

Michigan is home to 104 state parks. You wouldn't need to drive too far to find one (unless you live along Lake Huron in the Thumb, perhaps).

With this vast amount of park land across the state, it might surprise you to learn that there are 35 former state parks that are no longer a part of the Department of Natural Resources.

👇🏼BELOW: The Only Destination For These Highways are Michigan State Parks👇🏼

The vast majority of these former state parks have either been given over to local control or transferred in the federal government to become a part of national parks and lakeshores.

Here are some of the notable former state parks in Michigan:

11 Dodge Brothers State Parks

Largely located across Metro Detroit, the brothers behind the automobile manufacturer, Horace and John Dodge donated several plots of land that became state parks bearing their name, the vast majority of them in Oakland County. (Editor's Note: The photograph that accompanies this article was taken at the former Dodge Brothers State Park #8 in Sterling Heights.)

One Dodge Brother park not in the Detroit area was at Munuscong near Pickford south of Sault Ste Marie in the Upper Peninsula. That land is now a Wildlife Management Area rather than a park.

READ MORE: These Are the Next Three State Parks the State of Michigan Will Develop

Michigan State Parks Upgraded to Federal Land

Benzie, D.H. Day and Glen Lake State Parks are now a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Grand Marias and Pictured Rocks State Parks are included within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

State Parks to City Parks

Former State Parks are now city parks in East Tawas, Gladwin, Petoskey and Paw Paw.

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State Parks to County Parks

Former State Parks near Alpena, Lake City, Port Huron and White Cloud are part of their respective county parks department

Parkland Lost to Development

Sidnaw State Park in the Upper Peninsula is now a fish hatchery. Cheboygan State Park is now the site of the county's fairgrounds. And, perhaps, the most egregious loss of parkland in the state is in Marquette. The former Marquette State Park was abandoned in 1947 and is how a housing subdivision.