Do all county and state parks in Michigan have an entry fee (Detroit: insurance, purchase)

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

Hi, first off I'm new to the state of Michigan and just moved here a few days back for work related reasons. In general I am a fan of trails along lake shores.

To my surprise however, when I wanted to visit a county park this weekend, I was charged an entry fee. Is this common at all Michigan parks ?

I come from NJ. I've been to parks in NY, CT, NC, PA, and MA. In all these places county and state parks were free to public, hence the reason for my surprise.

Also, I heard there is some sort of park membership card ? Can I purchase it online?

[belleislerunner]

You can purchase it at any Secretary of State office (what we call the DMV or Department of Motor Vehicles) in other states.

There are various options.

1) A state license - gets you admission to any state park (e.g. Belle Isle) - Called a "Recreation Passport"
DNR - Recreation Passport

2) Depending on where you live there may be "MetroParks" or regional parks across counties - for example Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Erie have "MetroParks" Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Southeast Michigan Parks

Congrats on the new gig and welcome to Michigan!

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

You can purchase it at any Secretary of State office (what we call the DMV or Department of Motor Vehicles) in other states.

There are various options.

1) A state license - gets you admission to any state park (e.g. Belle Isle) - Called a "Recreation Passport"
DNR - Recreation Passport

2) Depending on where you live there may be "MetroParks" or regional parks across counties - for example Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Erie have "MetroParks" Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Southeast Michigan Parks

Congrats on the new gig and welcome to Michigan!

Thanks for the information.

[mgkeith]

Welcome to Michigan! There certainly are many beautiful parks here. Yes there are admission fees for the parks you mentioned. It would be fair to keep in mind that taxes in most (if not all) of the states mentioned above are significantly higher than in Michigan. Believe me, you did pay for those parks!

Very best wishes in your new job, and I hope you enjoy the summer!

[MikeBear]

The recreation passport for Michigan STATE parks does NOT also allow you entry to the Metropark's that are located in the surrounding Detroit area.


Those require a separate paid tag either yearly or day passes. Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Southeast Michigan Parks


Personally, I'm located 90~ miles north of there, and I LOVE going down to the Kensington Metropark for the day now and again. It's a wonderful place to visit and experience!

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

Looks like the first thing I'd need to do is change my vehicle license and registration. Costs are much lower for state park and metro park recreational passports if your vehicle is registered in state.

So, if I'm gonna change my license, do I have to retake the test ? I've observed some unique driving rules here (like the Michigan left).

In NJ, some have to retake the test to understand parallel parking and using jughandles to take a left.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by Adi from the Brunswicks

Looks like the first thing I'd need to do is change my vehicle license and registration. Costs are much lower for state park and metro park recreational passports if your vehicle is registered in state.

So, if I'm gonna change my license, do I have to retake the test ? I've observed some unique driving rules here (like the Michigan left).

In NJ, some have to retake the test to understand parallel parking and using jughandles to take a left.

Idk about Michigan, but when I got my Texas licence (from FL) I didn't have to retake the test, just bring a birth certificate, proof of residence and take a vision test. Unless your licence is from another country, or expired, I dun think they make you retake the test in any state.

[Coldjensens]

Many County parks do not charge a fee. State parks and Metroparks offer a yearly pass which is much cheaper than a daily passes if you use the parks more than twice. BTW the Metroparks are awesome. There are also national parks/forests (mostly up north), I do not think they require a pass I have camped there and only paid a camping fee as far as I can remember.

When you register your car in Michigan, you will have to change to Michigan insurance. Be prepared for a shock. We have the most expensive insurance in the nation.

You do nto have to take a test. Just turn in your old license. However you will need a bunch of forms of identification from two different lists. I had to use my 30 year old high school yearbook with a picture that looks nothing like me as one form of ID. (I actually found my old drivers ed certificate from a year earlier than the yearbook but they said it was too old despite the fact it is on their list of acceptable Identification - why the certificate is too old but the yearbook of about the same age is fine? Bureaucracy! Gotta love government workers. Don't expect anyhting to make sense, just do what they tell you.)

[belleislerunner]

And just so you know - the reason why we have the highest insurance in the country is because if you get in an accident - there is no cap on the medical benefits you can collect. Every other state has a lifetime cap and thus slightly lower premiums.

I'm not saying I agree with the logic (I don't) but at least you know the reasoning for it.

[Coldjensens]

Three reasons Michigan auto insurance highest in nation | Michigan Radio