Go See It
Van Riper State Park: Go See It
About a mile and a half of Lake Michigamme’s east shore off US-41, 17 miles west of Ishpeming, with a beach, a big campground and a 1914 bridge you can walk.
The facts
- Drive
- About 37 minutes and 30.7 miles via US-41 (Google Maps… from Marquette
- Cost
- Recreation Passport required for vehicle entry: $15…
- Season
- Open year-round in some form: the Peshekee River…
- Hours
- State park day-use hours, 8 a.m
More detail
- From Marquette
- About 37 minutes and 30.7 miles via US-41 (Google Maps route, read Sept. 27, 2026)
- Cost
- Recreation Passport required for vehicle entry: $15 for Michigan plates, bought when you renew your registration. Nonresidents $42 a year or $12 a day
- Season
- Open year-round in some form: the Peshekee River rustic cabin rents all year, and winter brings cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and Snowmobile Trail No. 8 through the park. Campground opening and closing dates are not on the DNR page; call 906-339-4461
- Hours
- To 10 p.m. daily
- From the Bridge
- About 3 hours 31 minutes and 194 miles via US-2 W and M-28 W, with the Mackinac Bridge toll. That read included a 15-minute slowdown on the Bridge (Google Maps route, read Sept. 27, 2026)
The doctor’s beach
Van Riper State Park has about a mile and a half of frontage on the eastern shore of Lake Michigamme, 17 miles west of Ishpeming on US-41. The park covers 1,100 acres, partly in Michigamme Township and partly in Champion Township.
It is named for Dr. Paul Van Riper, who came to Champion in January 1901 and served western Marquette County as a country doctor for more than half a century. The Mining Journal calls him the person most instrumental in the public acquisition of Champion Beach: he persuaded Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company president William G. Mather to gift the property to the local township. The county built a beach pavilion and change house in 1924, and in 1956 the park was turned over to the state.
Beside the highway, a concrete bridge built in 1914 and designated Trunk Line Bridge No. 1 carries an abandoned stretch of US-41 over the Peshekee River. It is open to people on foot.
Off the edge of a parking lot, a kiosk holds moose lift video, shed antlers and a moose mount. In 1985 and 1987, 59 moose from Algonquin Provincial Park were released in the woods north of Michigamme and the park.
Before you go
- Address. The DNR lists 298 County Road AKE. Google Maps lists the park as 851 Co Rd AKE; search the park by name and both land on the same pin.
- Swimming. A buoyed swim area in the day-use area, and a beach house with modern restrooms, changing rooms and a laundry.
- Camping. 143 modern sites in two loops, mostly shaded and on the small side; 39 rustic sites in the woods; 9 group sites. Reservations 800-447-2757 or MiDNRReservations.com.
- Cabins. The Peshekee River rustic cabin sleeps six and rents year-round, heated by a woodstove. Two accessible mini cabins sleep four each, and the Cully Gage camper cabin sits on the lakeshore.
- Craig Lake campers. Check in and pick up your camper pass at Van Riper's campground office, not at park headquarters.
- The old bridge. Trunk Line Bridge No. 1 (1914) carries an abandoned stretch of US-41 over the Peshekee River. Open on foot.
- Trails. Several miles of trails in the hills on the north side of the highway pass evidence of early mining.
- Boat launch. Accessible launch on Lake Michigamme. Park phone 906-339-4461.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Van Riper State Park Read September 27, 2026
- Michigan DNR, Van Riper State Park Read September 27, 2026
- The Mining Journal (John Pepin), Park to celebrate golden anniversary, namesake, Jul 4 2014 Read September 27, 2026
- Michigan DNR, state park rules (day-use hours) Read September 27, 2026
- Michigan DNR, Recreation Passport Read September 27, 2026
- Google Maps, Marquette to Van Riper State Park Read September 27, 2026
- Google Maps, Mackinac Bridge to Van Riper State Park Read September 27, 2026
- Michigan DNR, Craig Lake State Park (check-in at Van Riper) Read September 26, 2026
- MDOT, US-41 (Abandoned) / Peshekee River, archived 2009 Read September 26, 2026
- HistoricBridges.org, Trunk Line Bridge Number 1 Read September 26, 2026
- The Mining Journal (John Pepin), Michigan moose among us, Nov 12 2021 Read September 26, 2026
- Wikimedia Commons, US 41 Peshekee Bridge (Imzadi1979, CC BY-SA 3.0) Read September 26, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026