At a Glance
- Approximate Street Address: 18201 North Shore Drive, Ferrysburg, MI 49409
- The massive, forested dunes at this county park near Ferrysburg rise around the 10 miles of hiking trails that connect with PJ Hoffmaster State Park. Don’t miss the view of Lake Michigan and the Grand River valley from the top of the stairs overlooking the active dune blowout.
- Trail length: 10 miles
- For more information, visit Ottawa County Parks & Recreation.
Visitor Information
From US 31, take the Ferrysburg exit and go west on 3rd Street to North Shore Drive. Turn west on North Shore Drive and travel about 1 mile to the City of Ferrysburg’s Coast Guard Park. Enter Coast Guard Park and look for the North Ottawa Dunes trail head on the west side of the parking lot.
What to See
North Ottawa Dunes County Park is known for its excellent trail system, including a stairway leading to the top of a dune that gives magnificent views of Lake Michigan to the west and the Grand River valley to the east. Ten miles of hiking trails link North Ottawa Dunes to Coast Guard Park, North Beach Park, P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and Ottawa Sands.
The property features tremendous topography with an elevation change of 185 feet in the parabolic dune formations. Eight distinct dunes in the rugged landscape exceed 750 feet in height.
Conservation Value
The North Ottawa Dunes County Park created a contiguous 1,800-acre parcel of natural land connecting P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, North Beach County Park, and Coast Guard City Park, and acreage protected by Spring Lake Township. It is one of the largest wooded dune assemblages remaining in the central West Michigan area. In 2019, that parcel grew to 2,000 acres with the addition of Ottawa Sands.
History
In 2005, the Land Conservancy worked with the Ottawa County Parks Department and the Grand Haven, Spring Lake, and Ferrysburg communities to protect these 500 acres and turn it into a county park.
