Outside Magazine this month tells outdoor travelers to ignore the obvious big name national parks and seek out the lesser used state parks, national lakeshores and recreation areas.
Only one of the nine public lands the magazine profiles is in the Great Lakes region – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Here at Echo we find that a particularly unimaginative choice. Not that we don’t like Pictured Rocks – by all means get there if you haven’t been already. But it’s hardly an unknown destination, at least among regional outdoor lovers.
And it’s the only Great Lakes place Outside finds worthy of highlighting.
Not to get overly sensitive, but Outside also unveiled a National Park finder that slights the region. Although billed as a National Park guide, it also highlights select state parks. The total contributions from the eight Great Lakes states and Ontario is a scant 13, less than half of which are non-federal lands. There is nothing (at least yet) representing Illinois, Indiana, Ohio.
So here’s the Echo challenge: In the comments below, make your case for the Great Lakes region’s best state, provincial or local parks. The only rule is that it cannot be a federal entity. Help spotlight the region’s best outdoor secrets.
Echo Editor David Poulson is the associate director of Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.