Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

The 158 acres of the gardens encompasses themed gardens, meadows, wetlands, woodlands, and conservatories.  200 sculptures are located inside in a museum setting and outside in the gardens. The grounds are beautifully landscaped - some areas are manicured and others are left natural. We had time to see about half of the gardens and we'll definitely return someday to see the rest of them. Wonderful gardens!

 

All of the walkways are paved and accessible. Everything can be seen from the walkways so navigating through the grassy areas is not necessary. Loaner wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The tram tour (extra fee) may not be wheelchair accessible.

RVs can be parked through the spaces or lengthwise across them. Gardens  42.97848, -85.5865

20' Eiffel Tower, Trout Ponds, and White Pine Trail

Both the Eiffel Tower replica and the fish hatchery trout ponds, now located in Paris County Park, have histories going back many years. The fish hatchery opened in 1881 and was renovated in the 1930s by Works Projects Administration crews. The Eiffel Tower was built by high school students in 1980 using discarded metal bed frames from the beds of the WPA crews.

The fish hatchery was closed in 1964 and given to the park in 1973. It's no longer a hatchery but there are trout in the ponds and machines with food pellets to throw in the water and start a feeding frenzy. To get to the parking lot to see the fish and the tower you have to go through the park entrance and pay a $7 day fee. We happened to luck into a free day but this is a small site and, in my opinion, it's not worth the fee.

 

There is also access to the White Pine Trail which runs through the park. A free parking lot is located about five miles south in Big Rapids at  Northend Riverside Park.

A steep gravel road goes to the trout ponds but the ponds are accessible with assistance. The walkway along the ponds is part grass and part concrete with some rough and uneven sections. The trail to a close view of the Eiffel Tower is hard packed dirt and gravel. It's steep so wheelchair users will need assistance. The White Pine Trail is paved and in good condition.

The parking lot is large enough for RVs.  Park  43.788, -85.50257

Turtle Creek Casino

The parking lot of the casino is huge. We parked in section 4 which is to the west of the casino. A sidewalk with good curb cuts goes to the entrance.

The machines have easy to reach money and card slots.  Casino  44.77435, -85.42437

Michigan Iron Industry Museum

The museum is on the former grounds of the Carp River forge built in 1848. It was the first forge constructed in northern Michigan to process iron ore mined from the Marquette Iron Range. Although the Carp River forge was not successful and was abandoned in 1854, iron ore of Marquette Iron Range has been mined continuously since this first discovery. The exhibits in the museum are very good and cover all aspects of living in mining towns and working in the mines and forges. 

The rear entrance of the museum leads to a boardwalk with an overlook of the forge location. The boardwalk continues up a hill to a dirt trail that ends in a loop and has interpretive signs about Native American life in the area.

The museum is accessible. The boardwalk is accessible. The dirt trail is accessible with the assistance of an energetic helper. 

RVs may be parked in the small lot near the museum. If that lot is full continue to the larger lot. A paved trail from the larger lot leads to the museum. Museum 46.52168, -87.5636

Bond Falls East Campground

The Upper Peninsula Power Company owns part the shoreline property around Bond Falls Flowage (reservoir) and maintains about thirty campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, and perhaps water and vault toilets. I can't find a good website or a map of the campsite locations but sites do have numbered signs and I think that camping elsewhere is not permitted. So process is - first find the campsite roads, choose a site, then go to the store at the dam and sign up for that site. Camping is permitted for 14 days and is free.

 

We did not camp at Bond Falls but stopped to check out some of the sites because we were passing right by them. The road we chose had a single site where two young guys were camping and then, farther down the road, a dead end with a large meadow and at least three sites. Both areas have good access to the reservoir. Campground  46.40671, -89.08637

 

Bond Falls Scenic Site

A short paved and boardwalk trail leads downhill to this pretty waterfall. Dirt trails off of the boardwalk continue along both banks of the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River.

 

The paved trail and boardwalk are accessible although wheelchair users may need assistance on the hill. The boardwalk does not fit flush with the paved trail. The railing on the boardwalk blocks the view at times. The dirt trails are not accessible.

 

RVs will fit in the lot if backed up over the grass or parked lengthwise across the spaces. A loop road makes exiting easy.

We also stopped at Agate Falls Scenic Site which has a short paved trail that goes to an overlook without much of a view. The falls can be seen by hiking down a steep trail or climbing a different steep trail to an old railroad bridge (part of the Bergland to Sidnaw Rail Trail). The paved trail is accessible but neither steep trail is. RV parking is along the inner side of the loop road. Bond Falls  Agate Falls  46.40966, -89.13523

Ewen Pines Roadside Park

Michigan has 85 roadside parks (map). Many, especially if they are in a populated or touristy area, do not allow overnight parking and have signs forbidding it. Ewen Pines, however, is along a little trafficked road and doesn't have any signs. It even has a parking section for long vehicles - prefect for a quiet stop for the night.

One picnic table and the vault toilet are accessible. Park  46.5421, -89.32886