UPDATE: 3/1/2024:
2019 was the 100th Anniversary of Michigan State Parks and we're still celebrating!. Join the Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Geocaching.com for the first official GeoTour in Michigan.
This tour was originally scheduled to run for three years, kicking off on Friday of Memorial Weekend in 2019 and continue through May 31, 2022. The success of this awesome tour has not gone unnoticed. On February 2, 2022, The DNR announced the extension of the GeoTour through September 24, 2024! Join us in making a final push to complete this very popular and very successful GeoTour before the sun sets on it.
Each geocache is in one of Michigan's state parks. The geocaches are arranged by MiGO Region, with twenty-five geocaches per region. The Ticket to Celebrate 100 is available for download from the DNR's Geocaching page. It explains how to qualify for prizes in each of the four regions and for the GeoTour as a whole.
Day use areas of state parks are open from 8AM to 10PM. Geocaching is limited to those hours. Entry into Michigan's State Parks requires a Michigan Recreation Passport. See the Resources section below for more information.
The sun will set on the MSPCGT at midnight Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The MSPCGT will go off the air as a GeoTour and the caches will disappear from the map. There is a lot of construction going on in our State Parks in 2024. Some of the GeoTour caches will have to be pulled earlier. The remaining geocaches in the tour will be archived October 1, 2024. Players will have until December 31, 2024 to claim any prize they have earned. Hiders will be contacted to request removal of the geocaches they hid unless they have made arrangements with park managers and have their own permit in place to keep the geocache in play, with a new GC Code.
Now for some good news: MiGO and the DNR are busy working on a new project that will kick off in the Spring of 2025, code named MSPGT 2.0. Are you interested in helping? Keep your MiGO Membership up to date and stay tuned to the website.
Cache:
This cache was hidden as part of the Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour, presented by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Geocaching Organization. Record the codeword printed on the log book and on a label inside the cache container to the appropriate box on the Ticket to Celebrate 100 form. See the instructions on the form to claim prizes.
This is a traditional cache hidden at the posted coordinates. It is about a half mile hike from the parking coordinates. You are looking for a Regular size container. Please return everything as good or better than you found it.
Thank you
The Seed Spreaders
for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.
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Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Pedestrian bridge at William C Sterling State Park
Wm. C Sterling State Park:
The only state park on Lake Erie, Sterling State Park′s 1,300 acres offers great recreational opportunities including over one mile of beach, boating, shore fishing on Lake Erie and the fishing lagoons, lakefront camping, wildlife viewing and six miles of trails. It is known for its sandy beach and is a popular departure point for walleye anglers, but the park is dedicated to marshland.
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Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Aerial image of Sterling State Park on Lake Erie
History:
William C. Sterling was a Monroe County businessman who by the mid-1800s already realized the value of wetlands to man as well as wildlife. Sterling was a passionate hunter and in 1878 he began buying the nearby marshland for as little as 30 cents an acre because nobody else saw the value in swamps. A decade after his death in 1924, a group of Monroe citizens proposed that 115 acres north of the River Raisin be preserved as a park and named in his honor.
Sterling State Park was officially dedicated the following year and today still protects a small portion of the once-extensive wetlands, including four lagoons and the marshes that surround Sandy Creek Outlet.
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Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Hiking and Biking Trail at Sterling State Park
In 2002, Sterling was closed to undergo a $17 million upgrade and renovation, the largest single state park renovation in the history of Michigan. Officials felt the $17 million project was necessary because, with Sterling being so close to the state-line, it is often the first state park out-of-state visitors stop at. The heart of the project was building a new 256 site campground on higher ground along Lake Erie where it overlooks the nicest section of beach in the park. But many other smaller improvements were part of the renovation including upgrading Sterling Marsh Trail. The park includes a 6-mile system of paved paths. The 3-mile trail loop around the park's largest lagoon passes a tower, observation deck and interpretive area all dedicated to viewing wildlife.
Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Activities:
Wildlife observation is a popular activity at Sterling. The park is along the major flyway for many migratory birds and a great place to see waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, song birds and wetland plants. The park is also home to the endangered Eastern fox snake and the threatened American lotus. Additional activities include shore fishing in Sterling's three lagoons and three piers, plus access to River Raisin. Hiking and biking the trails is also popular.
Information:
For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to
Wm. C Sterling State Park.
Special thanks to
IdaLabs
for help with this geocache.
Special thanks to beenhere, LynnGeoGin and HNY Event Staff for the Southeast regional prize.
Resources: