Mitchell State Park

About this park

Mitchell State Park, originally dedicated in 1919 under the name Cadillac State Park and formally established among Michigan's first 13 state parks in 1920, sits between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac on the southwest side of the city of Cadillac. A historic canal, dug in 1873 at the direction of city father George A. Mitchell, connects the two lakes and runs directly through the park, giving it a genuinely engineered waterway at its center alongside the two natural lakes. The roughly 660-acre park serves as the trailhead for the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park, a long-distance rail-trail accessible from the park's eastern edge along Lake Cadillac, and connects directly to the 7.5-mile Lake Cadillac Foot and Bike Path circling the smaller of the two lakes. An accessible kayak launch and paddlesport rentals give visitors easy water access for exploring both lakes and the connecting canal. A modern campground with 221 sites, including an accessible Loon camper cabin sleeping six right on the shore of Lake Cadillac, makes Mitchell a popular base for visitors exploring the Cadillac area, which itself offers restaurants, shopping, and regular festivals within easy walking distance of the park. The park's central location in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula also places it within comfortable day-trip range of both Traverse City and Ludington for visitors basing themselves in Cadillac.