By all accounts, the Rockport State Recreation Area, 13 miles north of Alpena in northeast Michigan, is beautiful. Its 4,327 acres, which are covered in mixed conifer and other hardwood forests along a remote Lake Huron shoreline, already attract hikers, bikers, cross-country skiers, and equestrians who enjoy its 20 miles of trails.
Anglers launch at its limited harbor, which still bears the bones left from a long-ago limestone mining operation. At a former quarry, visitors can hunt for fossils. It’s also a designated dark sky area for viewing the heavens.
The current best “guesstimate” of the number of annual visitors is 22,961.
In a few years, however, Rockport could change dramatically. Could it become the first state park to be created in Michigan since the 1960s?
A futuristic vision for Rockport is actively being pursued by the rec area’s current stewards, the Department of Natural Resources. Through its Parks and Recreation Division’s general management plan process, there will be plenty of opportunity for input about potential changes or improvements by experts, stakeholders, local entities, and the general public.
DNR veterans involved in that process include Matt Lincoln, park planner with the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division in Lansing, Rich Hill, DNR Parks district supervisor in Gaylord, and Jason Cherven, regional field planner for the DNR in Gaylord.
They and others, with input from those outside the DNR, are preparing an updated 10-year plan for the property — and as with all things that could lead to change, the answer may not be what everyone wants.
What could it include? So far, a draft development plan is still being created in conjunction with the general management plan. It may include several hike-in campsites, rustic cabins, improved parking, interpretive panels, stabilization of the pier, and a pathway with ropes to guide viewers walking at night below a sky of stars that are difficult to see elsewhere.
Other changes could include an improved boat launch to enable anglers to access the popular Middle Island area in Lake Huron in search of walleye, lake trout, and salmon; a separate kayak launch; and improved markings for equestrian/hike/bike trails.
Or, like some prefer, it could be left alone.
Hill says the current demand for campground space in the region isn’t the deciding factor. “The state parks with campgrounds are certainly busy, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they (campgrounds) have to be at every state park. Every state park is really special, and each brings something unique to the overall system.”
That’s where devising a plan comes in — and it’s not without a bit of controversy, including objections from those who like Rockport just the way it is.
“Currently, we’re in the process of updating the general management plan. We started working on a development plan within that management plan,” he says.
Lincoln says the development plan process started in 2020 to consider potential new uses, based on the park’s management plan completed in 2012.
“If you go to the park website, you can get to a site for the plan and see where we’re at. We did a public input survey in the fall and had a stakeholder meeting to get feedback on what Rockport means to people,” Lincoln says. “What we’re going to do is (create) an update that will include what makes the park unique. In the summer, the public can review those again. Currently, we have very limited camping opportunities in that area. It’s a unique landscape with a 300-acre former quarry that looks like a moonscape.”
Adds Hill: “All these things are in draft form, and the next steps for us will be to continue working on the management plan and (contemplating) what the overall development of the park would look like. It’s still very much in the development stage. Sometime in the summer, we’ll have a public meeting that will focus on the general plan — but obviously, the development plan is a big part of that. We’ll have a public open house of some type.”
The closest state park to Rockport that has a modern campground is Clear Lake State Park near Atlanta. P.H. Hoeft near Rogers City, one of the eight original Michigan state parks that was created decades ago, is just north on U.S. 23. Those parks’ campsites are generally filled each summer weekend, as are two others farther south: Harrisville and Tawas Point. The latter was developed in the 1960s, after being relocated from the East Tawas waterfront.
The Alpena area would be sure to gain from a newly developed Rockport State Park, which would bring increased visitation and potentially ease reservation pressure at other campgrounds.
What’s next for Rockport may be determined later this summer. In the meantime, many interested parties in the region are waiting to review what’s in this new development plan before commenting. Stay tuned.
More Information:
Rockport State Recreation Area
michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/rockport
