Paris, Michigan (Mecosta County): Paris Park & Kayaking Muskegon River

September 2019, Weekday-weekend, 3-nights, Campsite 62 

Paris Park campsites 58, 60, 62, and 63

We camped on site 62, and friends camped on site 58. We initially wanted sites 60 and 62; however, 60 had been reserved by the time we finalized our plans to visit. If you want two sites together, sites 60 and 62 are two of the best campsites in this park. If you are camping alone, and want privacy, be aware that these campsites are very open to each other. We parked our truck next to the line to create a bit of privacy between 60 and 62.

Click on photo to enlarge it

On the reservation site, campsites 58 and 62 both say they accommodate a, "Large RV or 5th Wheel;" however, it was tricky getting into both of these sites. Additionally, I was verbally told that site 63 would accommodate a 5th wheel (even though the online information says it is a tent site), and neither of us would have gotten on that site because of the trees and incline.

Campsite 58 is tricky, because there are many trees on this site. Our friends barely fit on the site with a 28' 5th wheel with one slide out. We actually had to remove one of the posts until they had parked. We were obviously not the first ones to do this because the post was loose when we checked it.

Campsite 62 is tricky because there is a steep incline at the front of the site. My photo does not fully show the incline up from the road, nor the narrow road in front of the site. We had our front jacks up higher than we have ever extended them before. The fire pit on campsite 63 is right next to the lot line between these two sites, so we parked away from the edge.

All four of these sites (58, 60, 62, 63) have water hookup and 30 amp power. You will need plenty of hose to hookup from sites 60 or 62, as the water for all four sites is located on one post together between sites 58 and 63. The water access is not visible in any of my photos; however, you can see our hose running beyond site 58 in the top photo above.

This campground is located on the Muskegon River. It has a dump station, restrooms with showers, a playground, and a canoe/kayak/tube launch. The campground has tubes for rent, and they offer pickup and drop-off services. Camping rates are reasonable; however, if you do not have a Mecosta County park sticker, there is an additional charge of $7 per day. This is not per night; we stayed three nights, and had to pay an extra $28 for four days! I questioned them about this when we checked in, and was told that is what we had to pay.

Eiffel Tower in Paris, Michigan

Recreation: hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing

White Pine Trail runs alongside this park. There is a parking lot in front of Paris Park next to the trail; however, the entrance from Northland Drive had a chain across it, and the only way to get to the parking lot is after paying the county park $7 entrance fee. I am not sure if someone closed off the parking lot to deter park visitors from walking in without paying, or what the reason is. The online information says that this parking lot belongs to White Pine Trail, and not Mecosta County. I have never seen a parking lot for White Pine Trail that charges a fee. The trail is paved between Big Rapids and Reed City.

Fish Hatchery next to Paris Park campground

A fish hatchery and Eiffel Tower (😂!) are located adjacent to the park on the north side. Both are accessible from the campground and White Pine Trail. We did not do any fishing, although we observed others fishing -- folks from the campground, and along the river when we went kayaking.

Buckhorn Creek

A couple of hiking trails are located just north of the fish hatchery off White Pine Trail. One trail goes out to Buckhorn Creek and Muskegon River. The walk to Buckhorn Creek was only about a half mile from our campsite.

Muskegon River from bridge over the creek

Before our visit, I could not find much information about kayaking Muskegon River to the campground. The Paris Park tubing brochure says that the float down on tubes from Hersey launch is 6 - 7½ hours. It took us about 4½ hours by kayak. The river was slow and easy, and we did not paddle much. There are private homes along most of the route, and a couple of small islands. Other than the islands, the only other place we saw to stop was Green Township launch. There are no facilities at this launch (only a trash can), and there is not much room for parking. Hersey launch, where we started, has plenty of room for parking, and a porta-john. 

Several homes have signs on the river stating the distance in both directions. There are three signs just before Paris Park stating that the launch is ahead. The bridge over Buckhorn Creek is visible from the river.

Let me know if you have any questions!