P. J. Hoffmaster State Park is a public park on the shores of Lake Michigan. It is located five miles north of Grand Haven, in the southwest part of Norton Shores, Muskegon County, and the northwest part of Spring Lake Township, Ottawa County, Michigan. The park covers 1,200 acres (490 hectares) and has three miles (4.8 kilometers) of sandy beach along Lake Michigan. The park is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

History

The park was created in 1963 and is named after Percy James Hoffmaster, who is often called the founder of the Michigan state parks system. He worked as the Superintendent of State Parks and held the position of Director of the Department of Conservation for the longest time. The park's nature center is named for Emma Genevieve Gillette, who helped find places for new state parks while working with Hoffmaster.

Activities and amenities

The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center has interactive displays that show how the sand dune ecosystem works. The center also includes live animals, an auditorium, and offers nature programs for the public. There are ten miles (16 km) of hiking trails, which include the Dune Climb Stairway, the Walk-a-Mile, and Homestead trails. Three miles (4.8 km) of trail are prepared in the winter for cross-country skiing. The park has two campgrounds and a beach. Bird watchers visit to see migrating songbirds, such as wood thrushes, orioles, warblers, and sparrows of different kinds, as well as migrating raptors, including sharp-shinned and broad-winged hawks, and sometimes eagles or falcons.

In the news

On July 8, 2009, the park got worldwide attention when a man fell asleep in his truck and drove over his family's tent, hurting his wife and two young children.