Straits State Park
| Straits State Park | |
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 Location within the state of Michigan
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| Location | 720 Church St. St. Ignace, Michigan 49781 |
| Nearest city | St. Ignace, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 45°51′10″N 84°43′10″W / 45.85278°N 84.71944°WCoordinates: 45°51′10″N 84°43′10″W / 45.85278°N 84.71944°W |
| Area | 181 acres (0.73 km2) |
| Established | 1924 |
| Governing body | Michigan Department of Natural Resources- Parks Division |
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Straits State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Michigan located in St. Ignace, Mackinac County, on the northern shore of the Straits of Mackinac. The Father Marquette National Memorial and park is also located within the state park boundaries. The park is equipped with 255 campsites and offers several ideal locations for viewing the Mackinac Bridge.
Straits State Park was established in 1924 as a simple day park with the entrance located at the corner of Paro and Hombach street. In the mid-1940s the park was redesigned to allow for approximately 32 tent campsites along the shores of the Straits of Mackinac. Around this time, the entrance to the park changed to the corner of Paro and Church street.
In the early 1950s the park expanded north and about 90 new campsites were created to accommodate traveling campers and their travel trailers in the southern park along the Straits of Mackinac. The park entrance remained the same as it was easily accessible to travelers arriving in St. Ignace from the Lower Peninsula by way of the car ferry which docked only a half mile east of the park. The new northern land was left undeveloped.
In the mid-1950s construction began on the Mackinac Bridge and its approaches. The road, however, was designed to cut through the center of the northern park expansion. In a compromise, it was agreed that a pedestrian bridge would be erected over the new road connecting the two parts. However, that bridge was never built. Additionally, original concepts called for a Mackinac Bridge Museum to be constructed at the northern end of the bridge thus cutting away more park land. The land for the museum was allowed to be annexed but no museum was ever built. Currently, it is the Upper Peninsula Welcome Center.
In the mid-1970s the park entrance was moved approximately 300 feet (91 m) north on Church street to its current location, the park restroom facilities were updated, and the lower park was expanded to nearly 130 campsites while the upper park was developed into nearly 145 sites and all site were equipped with electricity. Also at this time, the bridge overlook area and trail to the upper park were created.
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