Submitted by: Tony St. Aubin
As recent transplants to the west coast of Michigan, specifically Grand Haven, we love to share our “gems” with other folks that have similar appreciations. Our newly discovered gems range from picking blueberries at Reenders Blueberry farm (who knew there are 12 different varieties of blueberries), drinking a Nutter Your Business stout at Grand Armory Brewery on a summer day, and of course stomping around the dunes…Rosy Mound.
Rosy Mound Natural Area is a 164 acre park in Grand Haven, Michigan managed by the Ottawa County Parks Division and an easy drive from NW Indiana. This park is a local treasure located just a few miles south of downtown on Lakeshore Drive and as busy as downtown gets during the summer it is always a refreshingly quiet hike.
Our home is just up the road from the park so Rosy Mound has quickly become a Saturday morning and even weeknight favorite. It is a short but testing 0.7 mile hike from the parking area to the Lake Michigan beach and we can confirm that the roughly 400 steps up the nicely constructed path gets the heart pumping and legs burning (especially with a 10-month old in tow)…You will be rewarded after climbing the stairs with a most amazing view from the observation deck. Below are open and forested dunes, a small stand of white pines, a beautiful beach and Lake Michigan stretching to the horizon.
So if you find yourself looking for an easy road trip…c’mon up to Grand Haven and enjoy some “gems”!
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After spending a wonderful few years in the Indiana Dunes region, which helped foster an appreciation for the Midwest Lake Life, Tony now resides in Grand Haven, Michigan. He has an appreciation for all things authentic and wonderous…the natural world, good beer, all things water, art, his family, and his most recent hobby…running. Tony has a beautiful family comprised of his wife, Katharine, his sparkling 4 year old daughter Ellee, and his 11 month old peanut Faye.
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