Newaygo County Parks: 2021 Updates

As kids embark on summer vacation & families look for ways to enjoy our beautiful Michigan Summer, we caught up with Nick Smith, Newaygo County Parks Director, to see what’s new and exciting in the parks this season!

Newaygo County has 4 campgrounds, 1 marina, 2 day use parks & 1 linear county park. Each campground has options from rustic sites to cabins! Diamond Lake & White Cloud parks are even open to ORV/ATV use + have access to ORV/ATV trails.

We all know 2020 was a crazy year, and we certainly saw an increase in campers, breaking prior records of the most campers at our Newaygo County campgrounds. 2021 doesn’t seem to be slowing down! This is great news because the Newaygo County Parks system is self funded, through user fees and vehicle passes.

This is a rare model, as no tax dollars are used to operate or improve the Newaygo County parks – so if you want the parks to continue to improve, go camping or buy a vehicle pass!

The Parks has a brand new website, making reservations easier than ever!

Nick shared a few exciting updates happening this season:

-14 miles of The Dragon trail in Newaygo County are complete & ready for you! 10 additional miles are expected to be built in 2021.

-Tennis courts are being converted to Pickleball courts at Henning Park

-The Parks Dept, NCRA, City of Newaygo and Newaygo TIFA have partnered together to rebuild the baseball courts at Henning park.

-Muskegon River Bluffs, a brand new Disc Golf course, is coming to Henning Park this season! 6 of the anticipated 18 holes should be open in July.

As the parks continue to grow, so does the need for staff! New this year, Newaygo County Parks Dept is hiring those 16 & up. Nick says he needs about 15 additional folks to join the team. Stop by the Newaygo County Welcome Center for an application!