It can be hard to find somewhere to hike or swim, much less camp, near a major city in the United States. That makes Proud Lake Recreation Area a unique spot in Michigan. The state park features a campground, a network of trails, and water sports just 40 minutes from the center of Detroit. It’s the perfect place to escape the summer heat of the Motor City.
Michigan does a great job of setting aside public land for the well-being of its communities. It has established 103 state parks and recreation areas that collectively cover 300,000 acres of the state. Most of these protected zones border one of the Great Lakes, which isn’t surprising since Michigan has the country’s longest freshwater shoreline. But the Wolverine State has around 11,000 small inland lakes as well. Proud Lake Recreation Area was created around two of them just outside of Detroit. If you plan on stopping in Michigan’s largest city, check out the unwritten rules you should know before visiting Detroit.
Proud Lake Recreation Area sits along the Huron River, Moss Lakes and, of course, Proud Lake in the Detroit suburb of Commerce Township. Once owned by Joseph Proud and a local hunting club, Michigan began purchasing land in this area when the auto industry started to take off in the mid-1940s. The area was officially named after its previous owner, and surrounding land was purchased to accommodate more recreational activities in the decades that followed. Proud Lake Recreation Area now covers about 3,000 acres.
Hiking and swimming in Proud Lake Recreation Area
Proud Lake Recreation Area now has more than 20 miles of trails for hikers that double as cross-country ski trails in the winter. Around 9 miles are open to horseback riders and mountain bikers, too. The Marsh Trail is an easy 1.1-mile loop around Proud Lake that crosses a dune ridge and follows a wooden boardwalk through the wetlands. Be on the lookout for herons and turtles along the way. For a longer hike, take the Marsh Trail, River, Red, and Blue Trails Loop. This route connects a number of shorter trails and leads hikers along paths through the hardwood forest. Though considered an easy trail, it totals 5.6 miles…