Lake Hudson St. Park and Rec. Area in Michigan

Trip Overview

If you're looking for peace and quiet in a beautiful setting, Lake Hudson Recreation Area State Park has a small campground, picnic area, boat launch and a roped off swimming area with a nice beach, all equipped with vault toilets. It is a small no-wake lake in lower Michigan and is a favorite place of many area paddlers.

The lake has approximately 700 acres, divided into two separate lakes joined by a wide channel. It is a good place for Bass and Muskie fishing. I haven't been brave enough to try for them from my kayak, yet, but I did run my paddle across something very large that thumped against my kayak in a shallow inlet. That was quite an interesting experience and I was told my face turned white and from the position of the thrashing, the thing that bumped me was about 4 feet long. That didn't stop us from trying to recreate the experience.

There are several bays to explore and a river that seems to go nowhere. You might see plenty of wildlife including deer, geese, ducks, swallows, turtles, and muskrats along with a variety of songbirds along shore. It is also a popular area for turkey vultures, which can be seen gliding gracefully in the air currents high above or roosting in trees at dusk.

Spring is a beautiful experience on this lake, with the flowering shrubs and trees all around and no houses to mar the serenity. I like to paddle quietly along the shoreline where any number of small animals and many birds are active in their search for a place to raise a family. My paddling there doesn't seem to disturb them at all and I am able to take many pictures and memories home with me.

Summer is also a great time to plan an excursion or to make a spur of the moment decision to go paddling. There are grills and picnic tables if you would like to make a day of it. It never seems to be hot out on the water even with the sun beating down, with the breeze you create for yourself while paddling but we do slather on the sunscreen.

Fall, now, in my opinion, is the most magnificent time of all. The colors are just glorious due to the great variety of trees all around the lake. The coolness of that time of year is offset by the energy you generate while trying to see everything at once. We are planning to attend a harvest moon night paddle and picnic in October and will probably camp overnight. We will paddle to see the colors, then back to shore for a cookout, then back out with glow sticks in the dark. When that is finished, we will return to shore for some stargazing as Lake Hudson is designated a dark sky preserve.

We like to do day trips during the week when there aren't as many people fishing but everyone gets along fine whenever you choose to go. I often go on weekends and haven't seen anyone abusing the no-wake law as it is often patrolled by the DNR and everyone seems to be quite friendly. All in all, it is a great place to be.

Accommodations:

Camping area has 50 campsites with electric. Water available at one hand pump. Vault toilets. No dump station.
Boat launch.

Fees:

$4 one time entry fee to park, or $20 dollar yearly State Park sticker.

Directions:

Southeast Lower Michigan. Take M-34 east of Hudson six miles and go one mile south on M-156 to the park entrance. Lake Husdon Recreation Area.

Resources:

Michigan State and National Parks : A Complete Guide

A detailed guide to the Michigan State Parks. If you live in Michigan or vacation there often, you should pick this book up and see what you're missing.