Traverse City State Park to Close and Undergo a Massive Makeover

The campground will be closed starting July 7, but at what cost?

By Matt Dursum | June 21, 2025

Campers hoping to enjoy the popular wooded campsites in the heart of East Bay Township’s Beach District will soon have to postpone their trip or find an alternative spot. Starting on July 7, the Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park will be closed until the 2027 summer season.

“We are planning on closing on July 6, which will be our last night of camping. And then, on July 7, we will be closing the park, and we’ll have about a week to move out of our buildings,” says Park Supervisor Stephanie Rosinski. The park’s day use section on East Bay will stay open, aside from sporadic closures caused by construction on the intersection of US-31 and Three Mile Road.

During construction, campers will (ideally) be diverted to alternative campsites, though the best the team can do is offer recommendations. “We would tell them what the local state parks are, like Interlochen State Park, Leelanau, and Mitchell State Park in Cadillac. If they’re into rustic camping, we would suggest our rustic campgrounds in the area, such as Arbutus Lake State Forest Campground and Forks State Forest,” says Rosinski.

What’s on the Docket

The $8.5 million construction cost is part of the $273 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding allocated in 2021 through Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Building Michigan Together Plan. The funding will help revamp the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ long backlog of infrastructure projects.

The construction will include several park improvements. These include new entrances to the day use area and campground, an at-grade pedestrian crossing, and a two-lane vehicle bridge connecting the park with the new park headquarters building planned to be built on the south side of Mitchell Creek.

One of the most anticipated changes will be the new entrance off US-31, aligning with Three Mile Road. This sweeping entrance replaces the old path past the dumpsters and service areas to enter the campground and park headquarters.

Crews will also expand the park’s dump station from a two-lane to a four-lane station. “Right now, the waiting line backs up into the campground. We have to have people out there directing traffic,” says Rosinski, adding that the traffic congestion is worse on weekends and holidays.

The new dump station will include a broader staging area, which is designed to reduce internal traffic buildups. According to Rosinski, the new staging area will improve the flow of traffic and make the park safer for workers and campers entering and exiting the park.

Besides improved dump stations and entrances, construction will also begin on a new park headquarters inside the 29-acre expansion south of Mitchell Creek and a two-lane wooden bridge connecting it to the campground. “Our staff has tripled in the last six or seven years without any expansion to their office space,” says Kasey Cline, District Supervisor at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Cline says that the TC State Park staff manage properties throughout the area, including Arbutus Lake State Forest Campground and Forks State Forest Campground.

“Our planner used to say that we have 10 pounds in a five-pound bag currently,” Cline says. With more space for workers and campers, Cline is hopeful visitors and staff will be happy with the changes. “I’m just really excited for the right sizing for everything; the right sizing for the public and the right sizing for our staff.”

Goodbye, Green Metal Bridge

One of the most controversial parts of the project is the replacement of the bridge over US-31, linking the campground with the beach. According to Rosinski, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) determined that the bridge needed to be replaced.

“We did a traffic study, and it was decided that the bridge is outdated. It’s over 50 years old and needs a lot of work. It’s at the end of its life expectancy, and it’s not ADA compliant,” Rosinski explains.

Once the bridge is torn down, pedestrians will cross US-31 via crosswalks with push-button smart signals. According to MDOT’s Traffic and Safety Engineer Jessica Carpenter, these “adaptive signals” will be coordinated with other intersections to minimize disruptions. “One way of putting it would be that the signals communicate with each other and constantly adapt to live traffic by adjusting the signal timing along the corridor to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion,” says Carpenter in an email.

Rosinski says that the new crossing and traffic signal will have a major impact, not only on the park but on traffic safety. “First of all, it’ll be ADA accessible for people to get to and from the beach. It’s also going to provide a safe left-hand turn out of the campground so people can get into town.”

Hopefully, that means the days of campers using hotel parking lots to turn around will be over. “We also see a lot of people from the hotels coming over and turning around in our entrance to go the opposite direction,” Rosinski adds.

Rosinski believes that the new crossing will also make it easy for maintenance workers and safety personnel to travel between the parks.

“It’s going to allow us to get over and respond to emergency requests much faster. There are times when we get the call, we jump in the vehicle to go over there. We see the ambulance pull in, see the ambulance do whatever they’re doing, and then we see the ambulance leave, and we’re still trying to turn left out of the park.”

How Will We Cross?

But many locals are concerned that an at-grade crossing will result in dangerous conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike, especially on the busy, 45mph roadway. Citing crossing safety along the US-31 corridor as the number one public concern, East Bay Township officials are working with local businesses to develop long-term solutions to the problem.

“We’ve been working with businesses, property owners, and other stakeholders along the corridor to try to identify safe locations for pedestrian crossings,” says Claire Karner, Director of Planning & Zoning for East Bay Charter Township.

Some options discussed include new bridges or tunnels along the Beach District corridor from the edge of Tom’s East Bay to the Acme Burger King. Karner says that the township is open to creative public-private partnerships for corridor improvements.

“Whether that’s a creek crossing similar to what’s planned at the state park, a bridge, or a tunnel, we’re very open to everything, because we know that there needs to be better crossings.”

Adding Up the Dollars and Cents

The closure is also expected to have a significant impact on the local economy. Per a report from our sister publication The Ticker, the total visitor spending loss associated with the TC State Park closure could reach $35.36 million.

According to the Traverse City State Park’s General Management Plan, the average camping party spends around $272 a day within 20 miles of the park. This includes restaurants, bars, and activities at businesses such as Pirates Cove. “I think it will certainly impact us when you have over 300 campsites, especially when they’re only a block away,” says Tim Olson, general manager of Pirates Cove.

Olson estimates that roughly 10 to 15 percent of his customers are campers. But, “If they close the beach too, that’s another amenity taken away from East Bay and another thing that keeps people away,” says Olson.

Olson’s biggest concern is the length of time the closure is scheduled to remain in effect. “It’s going for an entire year, from July to July, which will really put a damper on things here. Of course, I’m not happy with the walking bridge going away, but they gotta do what they gotta do.”

When asked if he thinks the project will help businesses once it’s done, Olson says he’s hopeful. “We’ll get through it; we get through everything else. I just hope they get it done when they say.”