Summertime in Lansing can mean art festivals, Lugnuts games, concerts and enjoying the great outdoors.
With the option to boat, fish, hike or just enjoy the warm weather, these parks and public access lakes provide opportunities for all kinds of summer fun.
Burchfield Park
Location: 881 Grovenburg Road, Holt, MI 48842
Hours: The park opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset. For specific hours on park activities, rentals or beaches, visit the Ingham County website.
Featuring 540 acres of trails, forest and shorelines, Burchfield Park is the largest park in Ingham County. There are playgrounds, canoe and kayak rentals and more. Beaches are open for swimming Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Burchfield Park also has two disc golf courses for hours of competitive fun, or some leisurely disc throwing.
Hawk Island Park
Location: 1601 E. Cavanaugh St., Lansing, MI 48910
Hours: The park opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset. For SplashPad hours and full lists of park activities, visit the Ingham County website.
This smaller 100 acre county park is the newest addition to the park system in south Lansing. Hawk Island offers rowboat and pedal boat rentals, picnic areas and state-of-the-art Splash Pad.
Lake Lansing
Location: 6271 East Lake Drive, Haslett, MI 48840
Hours: The park regularly opens a half hour before sunrise. The gates open for the boat launch at 5 a.m. to sunset May 15 through August 14 and at 6 a.m. August 15 through September 15.
Historically named Pine Lake until 1927, Lake Lansing covers a large amount of land and offers a plethora of summer activities between its two parks. Boat launch access is $5 per watercraft and vehicle fees may apply.
Lake Lansing Park North
Lake Lansing Park North is open year-round and is home to a wide variety of trees, lake access and over five miles of hiking trails. With over 530 acres of land, this park offers shade from trees and cool lake water to help fight the heat of summer.
Lake Lansing Park South
Lake Lansing Park South is one of the oldest parks in Ingham County. In 1974, South Park was purchased after the amusement park it previously included shut down. North Park opened in 1986 and now both parks host as many as 450,000 visits a year from Lansing locals and visitors to the area. This park offers similar activities as North park, in addition to a Friday Night Concert Series. These weekly performances start at 7 p.m. on the Band Shell concert stage and admission and parking are both free. Dogs are not allowed in South Park.
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The Ingham County website says the vehicle entrance fee is, "$3 for Ingham County residents and $5 for non-residents seven days a week at Burchfield Park, Hawk Island, Lake Lansing Park-North, and Lake Lansing Park-South. No vehicle entrance fees will be collected one hour prior to the Friday night Band Shell concert at Lake Lansing Park-South."
Crego Park
Location: 1600 Fidelity Road, Lansing, MI 48910
Hours: Open from dawn until dusk.
A newly established public park, this lake is easily accessible and offers quiet water sports like fishing and canoeing. Crego Park is also connected to Lansing River Trail for walking and hiking through nature.
Sleepy Hollow State Park
Location: 7835 E. Price Road, Laingsburg MI, 48848
This 2,600 acre park is home to woodlands, trails and the winding Little Maple River. Open year round, Sleepy Hollow State Park has 16 miles of hiking and biking trails, horseback riding and Lake Ovid nestled in the middle. Campgrounds and cabins are available for renting year-round and families and friends can spend quality time together fishing, swimming or sitting around enjoying company.
