P. H. Hoeft State Park is a public park located on the shores of Lake Huron. It is four miles (6.4 km) northwest of Rogers City on US 23 in Presque Isle County, Michigan. The park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
History
Paul H. Hoeft was a local Rogers City lumberman who bought pieces of land in the area in the early 1900s. In 1920, shortly after the Michigan state park system was created, Hoeft offered to give land to the state to build a park. At that time, the state was improving the main road through Rogers City, now called US23, and tourism in the area was growing. Paul H. Hoeft State Park was officially created in 1921. A picnic area was built right away, and major improvements happened in 1923 after the US23 road was completed. An early campsite loop was added, and a bathhouse made of logs and stone was built. A concrete bandstand and a play area were constructed between 1926 and 1927, and in 1929, a two-story wooden house was built for the park manager.
In 1933, more work was done as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). CCC workers built foot trails, a gravel road, and a garage/workshop. They also planted over 50,000 tree seedlings as part of a large tree-planting project. In the following years, the park entrance was moved, and a new parking lot was built. Water and sewer services were added to the campground and areas for daily use. In 1937, the older bathhouse was removed, and construction began on a new one designed by architect Ralph B. Herrick.
More improvements happened in the 1940s and 1950s, including a new water system, electrical wiring, and a laundry building. In the 1960s, a new campground loop was added, and in the 1970s, the roads in the campground were paved.
Description
Hoeft State Park is located along 1 mile (1.6 km) of Lake Huron shoreline and includes 144 campsites, 4 miles (6.4 km) of hiking trails, hunting areas, playgrounds, a picnic pavilion, and a lodge. The Huron Sunrise Trail bicycle path links the park to Rogers City and the 40 Mile Lighthouse county park.
The day use area has a parking lot, beach, picnic and play area, and a picnic shelter that also serves as a bathhouse. The picnic shelter is near the beach and was built in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It has an open beam design, split rock foundation, large floor, fireplace, and separate changing rooms, making it suitable for family picnics or reunions.
The campground has two loops. The western loop includes 66 original campsites built in the 1920s, which are shaded due to a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps landscaping plan. In the 1960s, 76 additional campsites were added to the western loop, and an eastern loop was created. The campground includes a toilet building constructed between 1937 and 1938 with clapboard siding on a stone foundation. A second toilet building was added in 1962.
The Park Ranger cabin was originally bought from a Sears and Roebuck catalog in 1929 and served as the home of the park caretaker until 2006. It has been restored and is now a year-round lodge that can sleep eight people. It includes modern features such as electricity, bathrooms, and a kitchen.
Activities and amenities
The park has swimming, a four-and-a-half-mile hiking trail, cross-country skiing, picnicking, campgrounds, and a lodge. A trail connects the park to the Huron Sunrise Trail, which runs alongside Lake Huron from Rogers City to the 40 Mile Lighthouse.