MLIve says: “Breathtaking views of truly natural Lake Michigan shoreline await you at Rosy Mound Natural Area. The dunes, wooded areas and beach come together for a great representation of all that makes the shores of the Great Lakes so spectacular. There are boardwalks and scenic outlooks here to catch a glimpse of the Big Lake in any weather. If you make your way down to the beach, you'll get a workout from traveling along all the steps required to get there. But the undisturbed freshwater coast is worth it.”
August 16, 2019
I’ve been to Rosy Mound too many times to count. The dunes, the trails, the beach, the lake…everything is a bit magical there. I’ve been visiting this park since my sophomore year of college; somehow four summers of being cradled in the perfectly soft sand on this particular Lake Michigan beach have passed.
My visit on August 16 was on a Friday evening after work. The weather was pretty perfect: not very humid, not very hot; just the way I like my Michigan summers. The trail that leads from the parking lot out to the lake makes for a nice little hike, complete with lots of stairs taking you over the dune and to the lake.
My favorite part of Lake Michigan coastline parks is that you can always feel the lake before you see it. As you come up the stairs at Rosy Mound to the top of the dune you can smell and feel a difference in the air - as you move closer to the lake, the air gets cooler, damper, and fresher. It draws you in.
We made our way to the beach and went for a swim. The sky was flat but somehow still dramatic, and the water was chilly and refreshing. Per usual, I waded in slowly making a lot of weird noises while my body adjusted to the water, while Bill dove right in, unfazed.
We drank a few beers on the beach, looked at dune plants, and let waves bury our feet in wet sand. Since it was Friday night, we just relaxed, talked, and enjoyed the presence of the big lake.
After we felt content with our beach time, we walked back on the dusky trail to the car and drove into Grand Haven for dinner. Righteous Cuisine provided us with way too delicious vegan nachos and burritos, and a BYOB patio on a quiet street downtown.
I brought my film camera along and shot a roll of Ektar 100 while we were at Rosy Mound, on a new body and lens I hadn’t used before. I’m pretty happy with the results, considering the sky was pretty flat that particular evening.
There aren’t too many better ways to spend a Friday evening in late summer than on a beach, with a beer, eating burritos, with your bear.