LUPTON, MI – This park is wild. Rifle River State Recreation Area is a practically untouched piece of wilderness in Northern Michigan. Before becoming public land in 1945, the 4,450-acre site near Rose City was a shooting preserve and game farm owned by Michigan automaker Henry Jewett.
He bought it in the early 1920s, and there has been little development on the land since then. Mike Hekkema, 50, Hunter Hekkema, 13, both of Norton Shores, and Arya Lofton, 2, of Ludington hike the Pintail Pond Nature Trail at Rifle River Recreation Area on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.com It remains a recreational playground for those who love the outdoors and all the natural beauty it has to offer. Year-round recreational opportunities include fishing, paddling, camping, swimming, hiking, mountain biking and more.
There are 10 no-wake lakes and ponds sprinkled throughout the park, some easier to reach than others. Many of them have little to no signs of development around them. A group kayaks on Grebe Lake at Rifle River Recreation Area on Saturday, Aug.
3, 2024. Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.com Jewett Lake is surrounded by trees except for a small gravel boat launch.
There is a rustic campground on one side, but no signs of it can be seen from the boat launch area. The 13-acre lake is stocked with bluegill, perch and walleye. The 130-acre Devoe Lake – the largest in the park – has a small, sandy beach with picnic tables and charcoal grills, plus a boat launch .