Michigan Public Lands
10% of Michigan is federal land: 3,642,187 of its 36,492,160 acres (2024 data). The largest federal land manager in Michigan is the U.S. Forest Service, with 2,879,011 acres, 7.9% of the state. This guide covers 95 state parks, 5 National Park Service units, 3 national forests, 16 wilderness areas, and 7 national wildlife refuges.
Explore Michigan public lands by type
- Michigan state parks 95 parks, 11 with camping, 56 with swimming
- Michigan national parks 5 National Park Service units, 2 with developed campgrounds
- Michigan national forests Huron-Manistee National Forest, Hiawatha National Forest, Ottawa National Forest
- Michigan wilderness areas 16 areas
- Michigan national wildlife refuges 7 national wildlife refuges
Michigan public land map
- National forests
- National parks, recreation areas and monuments (NPS)
- National wildlife refuges (FWS)
- State parks
- Wilderness areas (dashed)
Land managed by (switch layers on or off)
Land ownership: USGS PAD-US 4.1, dissolved by manager and simplified (parcels under about 2 square km not shown). Unit boundaries simplified. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
List of all 126 places on this map
State parks (95)
- Albert E. Sleeper State Park
- Algonac State Park
- Aloha State Park
- Baraga State Park
- Bay City State Park
- Bewabic State Park
- Brimley State Park
- Burt Lake State Park
- Cambridge Junction Historic State Park
- Cheboygan State Park
- Clear Lake State Park (Michigan)
- Coldwater Lake State Park
- Craig Lake State Park
- Dodge No. 4 State Park
- Duck Lake State Park
- Fayette Historic State Park
- Fisherman's Island State Park
- Fort Michilimackinac State Park
- Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
- Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park
- Gete Mino Mshkiigan State Park
- Grand Haven State Park
- Grand Mere State Park
- Harrisville State Park
- Hartwick Pines State Park
- Hayes State Park
- Highland State Recreation Area
- Hoeft State Park
- Hoffmaster State Park
- Holland State Park
- Indian Lake State Park (Michigan)
- Interlochen State Park
- Ionia State Recreation Area
- Island Lake State Recreation Area
- Kal-Haven Trail State Park
- Lake Gogebic State Park
- Lake Hudson State Recreation Area
- Lakelands Trail State Park
- Lakeport State Park
- Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park
- Leelanau State Park
- Lime Island State Recreation Area
- Ludington State Park
- Mackinac Island State Park
- Maybury State Park
- McLain State Park
- Mears State Park
- Menominee River State Park and Recreation Area
- Menominee River State Recreation Area
- Meridian-Baseline State Park
- Mitchell State Park
- Muskallonge Lake State Park
- Muskegon State Park
- Negwegon State Park
- Newaygo State Park
- North Higgins Lake State Park
- Onaway State Park
- Orchard Beach State Park
- Ortonville State Recreation Area
- Otsego Lake State Park
- Palms Book State Park
- Petoskey State Park
- Pinckney State Recreation Area
- Port Crescent State Park
- Proud Lake State Recreation Area
- Rifle River State Recreation Area
- Rockport State Recreation Area
- Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park
- Saugatuck Dunes State Park
- Seven Lakes State Park
- Silver Lake State Park (Michigan)
- Sleepy Hollow State Park
- South Higgins Lake State Park
- Sterling State Park
- Straits State Park
- Sturgeon Point State Park
- Tahquamenon Falls State Park
- Tawas Point State Park
- Thompson's Harbor State Park
- Traverse City State Park
- Twin Lakes State Park (Michigan)
- Van Buren State Park (Michigan)
- Van Buren Trail State Park
- Van Riper State Park
- Warren Dunes State Park
- Warren Woods State Park
- Waterloo State Recreation Area
- Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve
- Wells State Park (Michigan)
- Wetzel State Recreation Area
- White Pine Trail State Park
- Wilderness State Park
- William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor
- Wilson State Park (Michigan)
- Young State Park
National parks, recreation areas and monuments (NPS) (5)
National forests (3)
Wilderness areas (16)
- Beaver Basin Wilderness
- Big Island Lake Wilderness
- Delirium Wilderness
- Horseshoe Bay Wilderness
- Huron Islands Wilderness
- Isle Royale Wilderness
- Mackinac Wilderness
- McCormick Wilderness
- Michigan Islands Wilderness
- Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness
- Rock River Canyon Wilderness
- Round Island Wilderness
- Seney Wilderness
- Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness
- Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness
- Sylvania Wilderness
Who manages Michigan's land
| Agency | Acres | Share of Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Land Management | 610 | 0% |
| U.S. Forest Service | 2,879,011 | 7.9% |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 118,132 | 0.3% |
| National Park Service | 632,443 | 1.7% |
| Department of Defense | 11,991 | 0% |
| All federal land | 3,642,187 | 10% |
Source: Congressional Research Service, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), 2024 data, checked 2026-09-30.
Camping on Michigan public land
Free dispersed camping is also allowed on Huron-Manistee National Forest , Hiawatha National Forest .
National Park Service land has its own camping rules, set by each park unit: see Isle Royale National Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for campgrounds, fees, and backcountry permits.
11 of Michigan's state parks have developed campgrounds on record; compare them in the Michigan state parks table.
Common questions
- 10% of Michigan is federal land: 3,642,187 of its 36,492,160 acres (2024 data).
- 610 acres, less than 0.1% of the state (2024 data).
- The largest federal land manager in Michigan is the U.S. Forest Service, with 2,879,011 acres, 7.9% of the state.
- This guide lists 95 Michigan state parks and recreation areas, 11 of them with camping on record.
- congress.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- blm.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.