Alpena County: Parks, Trails, and Maritime History

On the shores of Lake Huron, Rockport State Recreation Area extends across Alpena County and Presque Isle County. Parks, trails, water activities, and maritime history add further highlights. When planning your trip, you can decide whether you’d most like to experience landscapes, trails, or shipwrecks and cultural sites.

Nature by the Water and in the Parks

Rockport State Recreation Area combines its location on Lake Huron with an area that spans two counties. Other park landscapes each have their own features: Sunken Lake Park covers 160 acres and has unspoiled forest and hiking trails. Island Park is in Alpena and is surrounded by a 500-acre wildlife area. Manning Hill Park offers panoramic views.

Long Lake Park can also be described in specific terms: It has a day-use area and beaches with parking and picnic areas. The parks mentioned here include both forest trails and beaches, as well as scenic overlooks. These features belong to the individual locations and can be viewed as different highlights for your stay.

Trails and Access to the Water

The Alpena Bi-Path Trail is approximately 18.5 miles long. Connector trails and roads provide access to several scenic city parks and beaches along the Thunder Bay River and Lake Huron. The NEST – Northeast Michigan State Trail is a different scale: this Michigan DNR multi-use rail trail is 70 miles long and runs from Alpena to Cheboygan. So, compared with the Bi-Path’s approximate length of 18.5 miles, the NEST is a 70-mile route with two named endpoints.

There is a public launch for kayaks and canoes at Duck Park. The Alpena County Fairgrounds has two free boat launches on the Thunder Bay River. So, if you’re comparing water activities, the details differ both in the number of launch sites and in their specific descriptions: Duck Park mentions kayaks and canoes, while the fairgrounds has two free sites connected to the river.

Shipwrecks and Maritime History

Glass-bottom boat wreck tours offer a way to explore the shipwrecks of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center focuses on additional maritime topics: The center has more than 10,000 square feet of exhibit space. Visitors can step aboard a life-size schooner’s deck or view a shipwreck through dive tubes. The center is located in historic downtown Alpena on the Thunder Bay River.

The tours and exhibits offer different perspectives on shipwrecks: The glass-bottom boat focuses on exploring the sanctuary, while the Heritage Center offers visitor experiences that include a schooner’s deck and views through dive tubes. This lets you distinguish between an activity on the water and exhibits on land, without combining both experiences into a single destination.

Culture, Events, and Places in Alpena

The Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan brings together natural history and regional architectural history. At the outdoor fossil park, visitors can dig for Devonian fossils and keep all the fossils they find. The museum’s Historic Village includes five original buildings, each more than 100 years old. A hands-on fossil activity and historic buildings are thus two distinct areas of focus at the museum.

The Alpena County Fair has been a tradition since 1875 and celebrates agriculture, community, and heritage. The Northern Lights Arena offers a different focus, with two NHL-sized ice rinks under one roof. Two other places highlight the local market and character of the area: The Alpena Farmers & Artisan Market is located in Mich-e-ke-wis Park in Alpena. Water Street Commons includes a beverage pavilion and a food truck area on the Thunder Bay River in downtown Alpena.

Travel interests here range from forests, shorelines, and trails to maritime exhibits, fossils, historic buildings, and local gathering places. These specific offerings can help you choose the themes you’d like to shape your trip.

Discover more destinations: Alpena, Van Buren County, Schoolcraft County, Sanilac County, Alger County, Muskegon, Wayne, Midland County

For the broader travel overview: Michigan.