Muskegon State park is a combination of forest, dunes and lake. There are so many trails inside the park to chose from and we chose Hearty hikers loop and lost lake loop. Hearty hikers loop includes scenic ridge areas where you can overlook the tree canopy and Lake Michigan. Lost lake loop is a trail surrounding 'Lost lake', as the name suggests, a lake lost in the woods!
We reached the park by 11:30 on 5/22/2016. We grabbed a map from the park entrance. Since we already had experiences with hiking the dunes we knew it was not going to be easy. So we packed our hammocks, snacks, fruits and enough water for the hike.
When you arrive Lake Michigan welcomes you with all its charm. Weather was very good and there were so many people fishing and boating.
We reached the park by 11:30 on 5/22/2016. We grabbed a map from the park entrance. Since we already had experiences with hiking the dunes we knew it was not going to be easy. So we packed our hammocks, snacks, fruits and enough water for the hike.
When you arrive Lake Michigan welcomes you with all its charm. Weather was very good and there were so many people fishing and boating.
The trail started with forest area. You could hear the birds chirping and leaves murmuring. The trail was pretty wide and clear.
As we progressed the trail became narrower and confusing. We missed having a pen so that we could mark the trails which we chose on the map. I am adding a pen to our hiking bag from next time onward. All happy faces, but we are just at the starting yet.
An intersection with downward hills both ways. We decided to take the trail to 'H'.
We followed the narrow trails all along and reached point 'H'. From there we were supposed to reach the next post 'G'. We started walking and we just couldn't find 'G'. We walked back and forth with no clue. The map seemed a lil deceiving. Finally we saw a sand dune in front of us and we decided to climb it.
This picture does no justice to the climb. It was a steep climb on almost 70 degrees. We reached the top of the dunes with sore legs and still got no clue. We decided to climb back in one of the trails and guess what , we reached just around point 'H'. We were not panicking of course, coz the trail was not completely deserted. You would see one or two people in every 15-20 mins. We decided we will take an alternate route from point 'H' and head towards 'E' instead of 'G'. More dunes on the way.
Soon we were back on track.We reached point 'E'. More dunes and steep trails. We were walking on the level of the canopy and it was real pretty. This should look even more prettier during fall season. We were supposed to get views of lake Michigan from the top of this dunes. But may be because of the thick canopy we didn't get a view of the lake at all. But the woods dunes and the nature made up for it.
Climbing the dunes were not easy. Though we walked less than 3 miles, we were feeling tired. We decided to take a rest on top of one of the dunes. It felt so pleasant.We had our snacks and refuelled ourselves. While resting we met one other family who were also hiking, and they confirmed rest of the trails for us.
We resumed our hike towards lost lake soon after. The dunes changed to forests and to wetlands. Shortly after we found the 'Lost Lake'.The lake was beautiful with lots of water lillies in it. It was a real lost lake in the woods. The air was so fresh and pure. We slowed down to enjoy the beauty of the lake and sat down beside the calm lake. There were more people around the lake than we saw in the entire trails. I felt happy to see all the people.
Shortly we headed back towards the parking lot. The trail became darker, but still fresh and pleasant. More wetlands but well maintained.
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We reached back at the parking lot by 3'o clock. There were many other trails in the park, which I really wanted to hike but we were really done for the day! A swan family enjoying the nice evening on Lake Michigan.
We headed back home after lunch. End of a beautiful Sunday! A view of the lake from highway.
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