Sleepy Hollow State Park in Spring

This week we had the great fortune to make a quick stop at Sleepy Hollow State Park near Lansing, Michigan.

It was early Spring, the weather a brisk 42 degrees with a strong and gusty wind cutting through our fleece jackets. The sun was warm though and we have been touched with a bit of Spring fever, so we were glad to get out to somewhere we haven’t been.

We weren’t alone!

I was a bit surprised that the campground was open for camping already, but there were perhaps a half dozen trailers parked in the ample campground lots, with their pavement pads, perfect for trailer parking. Talk about perfect- you had the sensation that you were in some secluded wilderness in the far reaches of up north, rather than less than an hour from a highly populated metropolitan area.

There was even a small group of tent campers! Several sites were occupied by a group of dedicated families who like us were itching to get outside. The campfire smell is one that captures the imagination from the scantest scent and one can’t think of the many happy memories of camping trips past.

We took a brief walk along the hiking path, a bit soft in early April, but not bad, and the lack of leaves on the trees made the vistas expansive and compelling. We headed over to the fishing pier, which while not yet open, looks either new or to have had major upgrades-great to see!

Lake Ovid is a good size inland lake with minimal development which is very impressive in this part of the state.

There are several new camping cabins right on the lake and they seem to be perfectly situated for families to enjoy some quality time in nature. Their tranquility is only marred by a vast expanse of parking lot with broken up concrete. It looks like it may have been a parking lot for a previous beach or something of the sort. It mars the aesthetics of an otherwise perfect setting.

With miles of trails, hundreds of campsites, fishing, mountain biking and easy access to Lansing, Flint, Saginaw and metro-Detroit, Sleepy Hollow State Park is high on the list of places to check out for a quick overnight get-away later this spring or summer.

See you there!