‘North Woods National Park’ Proposed for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

There's a reason Michigan's tourism slogan has revolved around the word 'pure' for decades. The natural resources of the state are unmatched by any of its neighbors.

However the one thing Michigan lacks as contrast to, say, western states is an abundance of national parks.

The state's one national park, Isle Royale, is so remote and inaccessible it's consistently the least visited national park in the continental United States.

While the state has national lakeshores and historic areas overseen by the National Parks Service, there is no other true national park in Michigan.

READ MORE: This Amazing License Plate of Isle Royale Is Not Issued by the Michigan Secretary of State - It Should Be

Nor, do proponents of a new national park in Michigan say, is there any national park that includes a wilderness area anywhere in the Great Lakes region from Wisconsin to Ohio.

The proposal is to create a North Woods National Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

A group called Protect The Prokies - the name is a reference to Michigan's Porcupine Mountains and the group opposes copper mining in the region - is working with RESTORE which advocates for additional national parks, particularly in the northern tier of the country.

They are holding a town hall to discuss the proposal.

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The creation of a new national park is, not surprisingly, a long and through process with sites evaluated on their national significance with many rounds of studies and authorizations on the way to parkhood. Any new national park would likely begin with the National Park Service Midwest region office in Omaha which oversees Michigan.