Palms Book State Park
Michigan State Park · Manistique, Michigan
Palms Book State Park is a small day-use state park in the Upper Peninsula near Manistique, built around Kitch-iti-kipi, also called the Big Spring, the largest freshwater spring in Michigan. The spring is about 40 feet deep and about 200 feet across, pushing up roughly 10,000 gallons of water a minute at a steady temperature near 45 F, which is why it stays open and clear even in deep winter. A hand-operated observation raft, pulled along a cable, carries visitors across the pool so they can look down through the water at large fish, sunken logs and sand boiling at the bottom. It is a short stop, usually about an hour, and very popular in summer, when the small parking lot and the raft queue fill up. Swimming is not allowed (confirm). A Michigan Recreation Passport is needed for the vehicle (confirm). Expect mosquitoes and black flies in early summer, cold winter weather and long drives between towns, so plan fuel and food ahead.
M-149, Manistique, Michigan, 49854, United States
The park is a day-use area that is generally open year-round, with posted hours that commonly run from morning until about 10 pm (confirm the current times). The observation raft is the main attraction and is hand-operated by visitors, so it is available whenever the park is open and conditions allow, though ice, high winds or maintenance can pause it. There is no camping in the park. Winter snow can limit road access and parking, and the Upper Peninsula's lake-effect weather can close roads without much warning, so check conditions with the state park office or local sources before you drive. A Recreation Passport is needed for vehicles (confirm). Arrive early in summer, since the lot fills.
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