HOLLAND, Michigan — People from all over took full advantage of the beautiful state parks that West Michigan has to offer. But what happens when it's too crowded, though?
"As far as I can recall, for a single day, this is one of the most reports I've gotten from parks that have been closed due to people coming out," said Ron Olsen, Chief of the Parks and Recreation Division for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Olsen said campsites over the weekend were at 94% capacity, and several state park parking lots were full by early afternoon on Memorial Day. Holland State Park was one of them.
When that happens, people are turned away until spaces become available.
"When people get into the parking lot with no open spaces, they just keep going around and around," Olsen said. "It creates safety problems because people are trying to maneuver through the lots and you have cars and people getting anxious."
"So instead of having cars take up the whole road, we let people know at the entrance that they'll have to wait." he added, "So as some people leave, that's when new people can go in."
Olsen said other main parks around Michigan like Seven Lakes State Park and Pickney Recreation at Silver Lake were also closed at capacity today, which Olsen says is unusual for those spaces.
The DNR also had to close several boat launches for reaching capacity as well.
"And each part is different because they all have different layouts and an entrance road," Olsen explained, "and sometimes they're quite long and things like that."
"The other thing is, if we ever had an emergency, and we have a backup of cars, it becomes difficult to navigate to," he added, "so that's why each park has a system to it."
Olsen also said even though they just raised their pay rates for seasonal DNR employees, they are still looking for short term workers.
If you're interested in working at a state park this summer, you can look at job opportunities by clicking here.
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