Petoskey State Park

About this park

Petoskey State Park occupies roughly 305 acres on a crescent of sand along Little Traverse Bay, about three miles northeast of downtown Petoskey and six miles south of Harbor Springs in northern Michigan. The land, known to the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians as Kegomic, holds deep cultural significance for the tribe, a federally recognized nation that has called this stretch of shoreline home for thousands of years and remains present in the region today. The park's mile-long beach ranks among the most reliable spots anywhere in the world to find Petoskey stones, fossilized Hexagonaria percarinata coral roughly 350 million years old and designated as Michigan's official state stone; experienced hunters often carry a spray bottle, since the stones' distinctive hexagonal pattern is far easier to spot wet than dry. Towering coastal dunes rise behind the beach, and the park connects directly to the 26-mile paved Little Traverse Wheelway, linking Petoskey State Park to both Charlevoix and Harbor Springs for cyclists. Two modern campgrounds, Petoskey Dunes and Tannery Creek, give visitors a choice between a smaller, family-oriented setting slightly back from the water or sites just steps from Little Traverse Bay itself, and the park's proximity to Petoskey's well-known Gaslight District shopping and dining district makes it an easy pairing for visitors splitting time between beach recreation and a charming small-town downtown.