MLive says: “Make a stop at Buell Lake at sunset and the beauty of the view might just overwhelm you. Located at the northern edge of Genesee County, this lovely lake is perfect for fishing, boating, swimming or just sitting near the water and contemplating the meaning of life. The lake even has its own county park that offers ball diamonds, picnic areas, a playground, and opportunities for hiking, biking and snowmobiling.”
December 23, 2019
I made my way to Buell Lake County Park after spending the morning and early afternoon at Seven Ponds Nature Center in Lapeer County. I had high hopes for this spot to finish off a really lovely day spent outdoors, but it didn’t quite deliver.
Initially when I drove into the park, it seemed very small. I was greeted by a playground, a boat launch, and a fishing pier. It was quaint. I explored this area with my camera to see if I could find any trail heads for the hiking/biking paths that MLive referenced, but with no luck. It was a pretty little area, though.
I did find a really beautiful fungus growing on the base of a downed tree that I couldn’t help but admire for quite some time.
While I wandered around, I came across a gated off road and figured it was a service drive. With not much to do, I headed that way on foot - this is when I found the rest of the park, which was apparently closed for the season.
While I still didn’t find any hiking or biking trails, I did find a massive picnic and recreation area. It would be the perfect spot for ultimate frisbee, a pop-up volley ball net, or a giant picnic potluck during the spring and summer. I was especially excited to find multiple stands of mature paper birch trees - gorgeous! Every photo in the gallery below is of a different stand of trees - and this wasn’t even all of them.
The park was empty aside from myself, but there was lots of evidence of walked dogs and some deer in the sandy road that winds through the large area. Without much else to explore, though, I called it a day after spending about 1.5 hours there. As much as I wanted to wait for the sunset over the lake, dinner was calling me home and the temperatures were starting to drop just enough to make my lack of a coat a bit uncomfortable. I thanked the sun for showing up for me, and made my way home.