Snowshoeing near Mason County Campground
By Joan Young, MCP contributing writer
A Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grant agreement being considered by the Mason County Board of Commissioners which would bring in $400,000 for improving trail at Mason County Campground. The local match would be $700,000. The item is currently at the committee level, at the Mason County Finance, Personnel and Rules Committee which will make a recommendation to the full commission.
This ties in with the long-term goal of the Mason County Multi-Use Trail group which recently reorganized to discuss making trail connections north-south from Ludington State Park to Pentwater, and ultimately to the Hart-Montague Trail, the northern terminus of which is currently located in Hart, and east-west from Ludington, first to the Mason/Lake county line, but eventually to the Pere Marquette Rail Trail in Baldwin. There are plans already in the works to connect Pentwater to Hart.
One can currently hike from Mason County Campground to the Mason County Picnic Area on a trail that is about a half-mile long. Previously, the trail then continued south through woods to connect with the trail between the Lake Michigan overlook and the upper overlook of the pond at the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. The parking area for this trail is on Lakeshore Drive. However, the increased use of the disc golf course has largely obliterated the actual route of the trail.
The new trail would be 8 feet wide and paved and will reconnect the Chauvez Road crossing with the Mason County Picnic Area parking. Total length is just over a mile. A new parking area will be constructed west of Mason County Campground. South of Chauvez Road, the trail will parallel the park road, not passing through the woods. Additional amenities will be benches and an observation deck, bike racks, American with Disability Act compliant parking spaces, a rain garden featuring native plants, recycle bins, and appropriate signage.
Steve Begnoche of the county parks and recreation committee is spearheading the effort from the multi-use trail group to connect from Ludington south to the pumped storage plant. He already has much experience with the trail in this area. He has kept the trail west of the campground open, publicizing it as a good snowshoe trail.
It is hoped that planned trail within the Pere Marquette Conservation Park on the former Dow Chemical property will make the connection from the Pere Marquette River to the Mason County Campground although about three-quarters of a mile of private property separate the two parks. Kelly Smith, Pere Marquette Township supervisor is continuing to work on that segment.
A trail north of the river to Ludington is barely in the planning stages. Viewing a plat map shows some possible connections, but there are also serious gaps, and the Marquette Rail live tracks must also be crossed.
Working south from the Pumped Storage Project to Pentwater is a future phase that is in the crosshairs of the Multi-Use Trail group, but no specific plans have yet been outlined.
Long trail connections are often difficult. Where there are multiple landowners, as is the case here, it can take years to secure easements or permissions. The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance supports connecting of multi-use trails to create a statewide network of off-road non-motorized travel and recreation opportunities.
________________________
Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
.png)
