Ottawa Sands County Park to close for construction work
SPRING LAKE, Mich. (WOOD) — If you want to enjoy Ottawa Sands County Park this spring, you better hurry. The Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission announced Monday that the park will shut down on April 1 for construction and restoration work.
Ottawa County park will offer yurt, treehouse camping
Work will continue on the Idema Explorers Camp along with a new parking lot and updated bathroom facility. The loop around the lake will be paved, and several other “ecological enhancements” will be made throughout the park.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience but look forward to opening all these projects later this summer,” the commission said in a statement.
Ottawa Sands opened in 2018 after the 345-acre property was gifted to the county by the family that once owned Ottawa Sand, which operated on the property. The park includes an 80-acre inland lake, rolling dunes that connect to other parks, and nearly a mile of Grand River frontage.
The Idema Explorers Camp will include three treehouses, five yurts and 10 tent campsites to offer overnight experiences. That is partially funded by a $3.48 million gift from the Bill and Bea Idema Foundation.
The Parks & Recreation Commission is also working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation to soften more than 3,000 feet of shoreline and create more “interdunal wetland” habitat. That should increase the biodiversity within the park and provide more habitat for birds, fish and amphibians.
The commission recommends following them on Facebook for any construction updates and when the park will reopen.
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