TRAVEL IN MICHIGAN
McCOURTIE PARK

One of my favorite destinations downstate is McCourtie Park. A day trip to McCourtie Park in the Irish Hills is not only a cool getaway, it will lead to the discovery of several overlooked attractions. Close by major metro areas, this region was and is a favorite for a Sunday drive along U.S., 12 also known as the Great Sauk Trail. McCourtie Park is almost directly south of Jackson is Somerset Township.

You won’t find anything if you aren’t observant, you can easily blow right by this spot and most people do. Keep watch and just east of Somerset Township you will see what appears to be two huge cement trees standing among normal trees on the north side of the road. There is a turning and a small sign announcing McCourtie Park. Take a walk or, better yet, plan a picnic. The park is several acres and contains a meandering stream. You can cross that stream using any one of seventeen bridges. These bridges are all different. One looks like an old log bridge and another looks like a suspension bridge. What they have in common is that they are all made of concrete and are all the work of one man. Those trees are concrete and are actually the chimneys for an underground heating and cooling system that served a rathskeller.

Directions: East of Somerset Township you will see what appears to be two huge cement trees standing among normal trees on the north side of the road. There is a turning and a small sign announcing McCourtie Park.

The podcast this month is the Klein Nature Trail Podcast featured in the May 2026 Newsletter.