Talk:List of Michigan state parks

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[edit] State Forests

I think the list here and List of Michigan state forests may be somewhat redundant. And I think both may need to be reorganized. This source used to add a lot of entries to this list is a search page that allows you to search for "a Michigan State Park, Recreation Area or State Forest Campground". This seems to be three different categories of things.

According to this page from the DNR, there are 97 state parks and only six state forests. According to Upper Peninsula State Forest Campgrounds and Pathways (PDF) and Northern Lower Peninsula State Forest Campgrounds and Pathways (PDF), there are three state forests in the UP and three in the northern lower peninsula:

  • Copper Country State Forest (UP)
  • Escanaba River State Forest (UP)
  • Lake Superior State Forest (UP)
  • Mackinaw State Forest (NLP)
  • Pere Marquette State Forest (NLP)
  • Au Sable State Forest (NLP)

Apparently, these six state forests are divided into a number of management units and the management units may contain named campgrounds and pathways (or trails). Four Seasons of Fun (PDF) page 3 says there are 145 state forest campgrounds. I think List of Michigan state forests may represent an old style of naming/managing the forests (perhaps gleaned from a GNIS query like this). Anyhow, there looks to be lots to do here. older ≠ wiser 03:15, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I have looked at this before and could come to no conclusion. I suspect that older maps have "extra" state forests that are no longer named as such but only as units. Rmhermen 04:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
I removed the individual state forest campgrounds from the list of state forests in Michigan. This list is clearly to show the state forests, not a list of individual campgrounds. As it was, each of the campgrounds appeared as if they were actual state forests. For example, there is (nor has there ever been) an "Ambrose Lake State Forest" in Michigan. The Ambrose Lake State Forest Campground is one campground within the Au Sable State Forest. There may be a reason to list out all of the in dividual state forest campgrounds in Michigan (possibly grouping them by state forest), but this list is not the place in my opinion. In any event, wherever they are listed, the names of the individual campgrounds need to include the word "Campground" in their name, e.g. "Ambrose Lake State Forest Campground".
Also, just to clear up any confusion, until about 1977, there were over thirty individual state forests in the state which were combined at that time into the six we have today. (These were not listed in the listing I removed.) There are still some older sources out there which may list some of the old names that were retired 30 years ago, such as the Thunder Bay River SF, Houghton Lake SF, Hardwood SF, etc. Those older state forests which were merged into the six in the 1970s should be added to the individual state forest articles at some point. CBessert 02:29, 16 July 2007 (UTC)