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 | [email protected] 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 | [email protected] 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 (this one has a concrete ramp and a dock).
Despite these amenities, while paddling in some areas of the lake all that can be seen are trees and water and all that can be heard are wind and birds. A group crosses the wooden swinging bridge at Rifle River Recreation Area in Lupton, Mich., on Saturday, Aug.
3, 2024. The bridge spans the Rifle River at the south end of the park. Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.
com Rifle River, the park’s namesake, runs through the property along with several creeks and streams. A wooden swinging bridge spans the river at the south end of the park. The bridge is near marker 17 on the 14-mile multi-use trail system that traverses the woods and around the lakes on either side of the Rifle River.
A view of the observation tower on Ridge Road at Rifle River Recreation Area on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.
com Another popular amenity is the observation tower on Ridge Road overlooking many of the park’s features. It sits on the former site of Jewett’s hunting lodge and overlooks Lodge, Grousehaven, Grebe and Devoe lakes. Just down the road from the tower, Grebe Lake has an accessible kayak launch, a modern boat launch and a fishing pier.
A view of Grousehaven Lake at Rifle River Recreation Area on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.
com Driving the gravel roads of the park, visitors will see several signs for rustic campgrounds. There are nearly 100 rustic campsites with two small campgrounds on the Rifle River and the largest campground between Devoe and Jewett lakes. The modern campground features 75 sites with a modern toilet and shower building and a beach on Grousehaven Lake.
There are also five rustic cabins and three large group campsites. The park’s modern campground will close Sept. 2 through spring 2025 for improvements, including electric, water and a lift station for wastewater.
The rustic campgrounds and cabins will remain open. Improvements to the day-use area have already been completed. Lacee McGuire, 28, of Muskegon, hikes a trail at Rifle River Recreation Area in Lupton, Mich.
, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.
com Rifle River is at 2550 E. Rose City Road in Lupton. A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for entry.
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