The Michigan Department of Transportation is getting ready to reopen the state’s roadside parks for the season.
MDOT spokesperson Dan Weingarten tells us the state operates 85 of the small attractions.
“These are not the welcome centers or the rest areas with enclosed buildings and modern plumbing and vending machines and things like that,” Weingarten said. “These are the more rustic facilities, most of them with pit toilets, some with running water and they’re usually located in scenic areas in the rural parts of our state.”
Weingarten says the roadside parks are places to stop and take a break when driving around the state. They’re shut down for the winter so water pipes and toilets don’t freeze.
A handful of the state’s roadside parks will remain closed after the official opening date next Monday.
“We have some toilet buildings that are being replaced at some of these parks, and other ones have some construction work going on, some facilities that are being upgraded.”
In southwest Michigan, there’s a roadside park near Watervliet. The Artesian Flow park is at 2031 M-140, about two and a half miles south of Watervliet. There’s also the Bronson Roadside Park, along US-12 in Branch County’s Bronson Township.
You can find a map of all roadside parks in the state right here.
