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.
Construction projects in the campground will not interfere with access to this cache.
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. You are looking for a Regular size container. Please return everything as good or better than you found it.
Thank you
Cyclops
for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.
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Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The Mighty Mac at night from Straits State Park
Straits State Park:
Straits State Park, with 181 acres and 255 campsites and several locations for viewing the Mackinac Bridge. It is located on the Straits of Mackinac, immediately north of the Mackinac Bridge. Its prime location as the gateway into the Upper Peninsula allows visitors easy access to the park. I-75 divides the park into two units. The east unit features two modern campgrounds, two mini cabins, a day use area, and hiking trails. The west unit includes the Father Marquette National Memorial and a 15-station interpretive trail, both of which educate visitors about the 17th Century explorer and missionary Father Jacques Marquette, as well as the French and Native American cultures that formed the community of the Straits Region. Both units offer spectacular viewscapes of the Mackinac Bridge and the Straits of Mackinac.
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Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Beachcombers at the park
History:
Straits State Park was established as a day use park in 1924. In the mid-1940s, thirty-two rustic campsites were added along the shoreline. When construction of the Mackinac Bridge, the roadway design cut through the park. A pedestrian bridge was planned to connect the now divided park, but it was never built. Instead, the park expanded its campground north.
In March 1965, Governor Romney directed the Department of Conservation (now the DNR) to evaluate and possibly implement the development of an Upper Peninsula Historical Park and Information Center at the northern end of the Mackinac Bridge to serve as a gateway to the Upper Peninsula. It was noted that the project had a potential to give Michigan citizens additional recreational experiences and at the same time provide a basis for increasing tourism in the Upper Peninsula. Within five months, a Preliminary Master Plan Report for Straits State Historical Park was prepared and presented to the Department.
In 1976 the Federal Government and the State of Michigan jointly agreed to establish the Father Marquette National Memorial in the portion of Straits State Park west of I-75. The State was responsible for design and planning the site with National Park Service approval. The State would also operate and maintain the memorial. It was designated by the National Park Service in 1977. According to the National Park Service, The Memorial pays tribute to the life and work of Father Jacques Marquette, French priest and explorer. It is where Marquette founded a Jesuit mission in 1671 and was buried in 1678. Native Americans congregate at the site every year for a Pow Wow. An interpretive museum was built in 1980 but a lightening strike caused a fire that burned it in 2000.
The campgrounds were closed for most of the 2004 season and went through a modernization and update including level camping pads and several grades of electrical service. At that time the popular shoreline campsites were eliminated, allowing all park goers to enjoy it instead of the few lucky ones that reserved those sites.
Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Activities:
Primary activities within the park are hiking, wildlife observation and watching the Ore Boats go by. A hiking trail through the park intersects with the North Country Trail. From here you could begin a hike to either North Dakota or New York States. Pack accordingly. Shore fishing is also allowed but the waters east of the Mackinaw Bridge are too shallow for good fishing.
There are three playgrounds in the park, two in the camping areas and a third in the day use area. Picnic areas are provided in the day use area and at the bridge overlook, which is handicap accessible. Swimming is allowed but is not a big draw. The beach rocky rather than sandy.
Most of the campsites are very modern. A primitive camping area is also available that attracts small organizations.
The Father Marquette Memorial, its grounds and views of the big bridge are a must see. There are many tourist attractions that the park can be used as a staging ground for. The biggest draw is Mackinac Island, a step back in history that everyone should enjoy at least once. Mackinaw City and St. Ignace provide plenty of interesting shops and restaurants and quite a bit of history to enjoy.
Information:
For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to
Straits State Park.
Special thanks to
jvr18
for help with this geocache.
Special thanks to Cherry Capital Cachers for the Upper Peninsula regional prize.
Resources: