Lake Erie Metropark

Park in Michigan, United States

Lake Erie Metropark

Cove Point picnic area

Location within metro Detroit

Type| Regional park
Location| 32481 West Jefferson Avenue, Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan, United States, 48173
Coordinates| 42°04′14.22″N 83°12′38.92″W﻿ / ﻿42.0706167°N 83.2108111°W﻿ / 42.0706167; -83.2108111
Area| 1,607 acres (650 ha)
Operated by| Huron–Clinton Metroparks
Status| Open year round
Website| www.metroparks.com/lake-erie-metropark/

Lake Erie Metropark is a park in the Huron–Clinton system of metro parks. The park is a 1,607-acre (6.50 km2) recreational facility located between the mouth of the Huron River on Lake Erie to the south and the City of Gibraltar to the north, and consists of natural marshes and ponds, hike and bike trails, nature trails, a marina, and a boat launch. The park previously featured a wave action swimming pool and food pavilion (non-operational since 2020). It is currently home to an 18-hole regulation golf course and the Marshlands Museum and Nature Center. It has a three-mile (5 km) shoreline along Lake Erie and is a popular bird-watching site. The children's play area, located near the abandoned Wave Pool, previously consisted of a child-size city before being reconstructed into a modernized playground.[1][2]

## Bike and nature trails

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### Hike/bike trails

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As part of the Downriver Linked Greenways trail system, a 3-mile segment of the trail runs through the park, with one branch of the trail terminating at Lee Road on the south end of the park, with the trail leaving the park at South Gibraltar Road on the north end. From here, one branch of the trail continues north through Gibraltar and Trenton, while a separate one continues to the north and west through Rockwood and Flat Rock, as well as Oakwoods, Willow, and Lower Huron Metroparks. Within the park, a 3/4-mile trail extends north from the wave pool towards the Marshlands Museum and Nature Center.[3]

### Nature trails

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The park also contains approximately 2.75 miles of nature trails in the northeast portion along Lake Erie. One pathway runs in a loop primarily through forests and alongside marsh and canals, while a second path begins down a boardwalk through marshes, transitioning into scattered wooded areas along the Lake Erie coast.[3]

## Boating, kayaking, and canoeing

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### Launches

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The park offers several different options for launching large and small crafts. On the south side of the park is the Lake Erie Metropark Marina, located at the end of Lee Road, which serves primarily larger boats. On the opposite side of the park near the nature trails, a boat ramp serves smaller boats and includes spaces to launch canoes and kayaks.

### Waterways

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In addition to Lake Erie, a number of smaller waterways surround the park.

* To the north and northeast, various canals and waterways wind through both nearby marshes and residential areas in the City of Gibraltar.
* Slightly to the northeast, Lake Erie narrows into the Detroit River, which continues northward on the east and west sides of Grosse Ile.
* At the extreme southern end of the park, the Huron River empties into Lake Erie at the Pointe Mouille State Game Area.
* Within the park, several smaller canals lead into marshes, in which a wide variety of waterfowl and aquatic plants live.

## Nearby Places

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Lake Erie Metropark is located in Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan. It lies south of Gibraltar, Michigan, and numerous other downriver communities, and across the Trenton Channel to the southwest of Grosse Ile. To the west are the communities of South Rockwood, Rockwood, and Flat Rock, and on the opposite side of the mouth of the Huron River is the Pointe Mouille State Game Area, Berlin Charter Township, and Estral Beach.

Three other parks in the Huron–Clinton Metroparks system (Oakwoods, Willow, and Lower Huron Metroparks) are located to the northwest. Together, the four parks are connected by bike trails through the Downriver Linked Greenways system.

## Gallery

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* Boat launch

* Nelumbo lutea

## References

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1. ^ "Lake Erie Metropark". Dnr.state.mi.us. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
2. ^ "Lake Erie Metropark - Pure Michigan Travel". Michigan.org. July 28, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
3. ^ a b "Park Maps". Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Retrieved May 14, 2020.

## External links

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* Huron–Clinton Metroparks

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Parks in metropolitan Detroit

Detroit city|

* Belle Isle
* Campau Park
* Campus Martius
* Chandler Park
* Clark Park
* Central Park
* Dequindre Cut
* International Riverfront
* Engel Memorial Park
* Ford Park
* Fort Wayne
* Gabriel Richard Park
* Grand Circus
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* Owen Park
* Palmer Park
* Patton Park
* Reid Memorial Park
* Roosevelt Park
* River Rouge Park
* State Fairgrounds
* Three Mile Drive Park
* UIS Irish Plaza

Metro
600 to 1,500 acres (243 to 607 ha)|

* Addison Oaks
* Algonac State Park
* Belle Isle
* Camp Dearborn
* Crosswinds Marsh
* Hayes State Park (Irish Hills)
* Independence Oaks
* Lower Huron
* Lakeport State Park
* Maybury State Park
* Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area
* Metro Beach Metropark
* Sterling State Park

1,500 to 5,000 acres (607 to 2,023 ha)|

* Bald Mountain
* Brighton Recreation Area
* Hines Drive
* Hudson Mills
* Huron Meadows
* Indian Springs
* Kensington
* Lake Erie Metropark
* Pontiac Lake Recreation Area
* Oakwoods
* Stony Creek Metropark
* Wolcott Mill
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over 5,000 acres (2,023 ha) |

* Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
* Highland Recreation Area
* Ortonville Recreation Area
* Pinckney State Recreation Area
* Pointe Mouillee State Game Area

Waterways|

* Clinton River
* Detroit River (Islands)
* Huron River
* Lake St. Clair
* River Rouge
* St. Clair River

Major beaches|

* Belle Isle
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* Stony Creek

Trails
5 to 36 miles (8 to 58 km)|

* Bald Mountain
* Detroit River Walk / Dequindre Cut
* Highland Recreation Lakes
* Kensington
* Lakelands Trail State Park
* Novi North Park
* Paint Creek Trail
* Poly Ann Trail
* Pontiac Lake Recreation Area
* Stony Creek Inwood Trails
* Trails in Detroit
* Waterloo-Pinckney Trail

Zoological and botanical|

* Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
* Cranbrook
* Detroit Zoo
* Matthaei Botanical Gardens

See also Tourism in metropolitan Detroit and Huron–Clinton Metroparks

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Metro Detroit

Topics|

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Detroit|

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Municipalities
over 80,000|

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Municipalities
40,000 to 80,000|

* Bloomfield Township
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Cultural
enclaves|

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Satellite cities|

* Ann Arbor
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Counties in MSA|

* Lapeer
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Counties in CSA|

* Genesee
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