Bald Mountain Recreation Area

Bald Mountain Recreation Area
Location within the state of Michigan
Location	Oakland County, Michigan, USA
Nearest city	Lake Orion, Michigan
Area	4,637 acres (1,877 ha)
Governing body	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=435&type=SPRK

Bald Mountain Recreation Area is a 4,637-acre (1,877 ha) state park located near Lake Orion, Michigan off M-24. It consists of some of most the rugged terrain in southeastern Michigan. The recreation area is composed of a North Unit and a South Unit, which are not contiguous. The South Unit itself includes two parts separated by M-24 (Lapeer Road), but the section west of M-24 has no recreational facilities or trails and is primarily undeveloped forest and grassy plains segmented by a few through-roads.

It is a popular recreation area for day users, hunters, and fishermen. Hunting includes deer, rabbit, squirrel, Canada goose, woodchuck, duck, raccoon, and woodcock. Fishing includes bass, pike, panfish, and trout. The park also includes a rifle and a sporting clays range.

Bald Mountain gained widespread attention when it was the location of two assisted suicides performed by Dr. Jack Kevorkian in 1991.

Bald Mountain's South Unit is adjacent to the grounds of Lake Orion High School.

Some of the land that is now part of Bald Mountain had previously been a part of the Scripps Mansion.

Facilities and activities

The Bald Mountain Recreation Area is also home to the only recreational facilities designed by world-renowned architect Gunnar Birkerts. Known by the name Lower Trout Lake Bathhouse Complex and Contact Station, as the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the complex includes five Mid-Century Modern resources, located on two separate land parcels, on one of the southernmost parcels of park land within the Bald Mountain Recreation Area.

The Lower Trout Lake Bathhouse Complex and Contact Station’s five buildings are located in the Trout Creek section of the Bald Mountain Recreation Area and consist of a contact station, men's and women's bathouses, pump house, and concessions stand. The five structures were commissioned by the Michigan Department of Conservation, during the Mission 66 era, in 1964 and were completed in 1969.

• Hunting: The park is open to hunting from September 15 to March 31.
• Shooting/Archery range
• Swimming: The South Unit's Lower Trout Lake features a sandy beach.
• Canoeing
• Playground
• Hiking: There are 15 miles of marked trails, some rugged.
• Mountain biking
• Cross-country skiing: Eight miles of trails are groomed.
• Snowmobiling: The park's southern trails (seven miles' worth) are open to snowmobiling.
• Boating
• Fishing: Trout Creek and Paint Creek are designated trout streams. Graham Lake and other area lakes have largemouth bass and northern pike.
• Picnicking
  • Picnic Area
  • Picnic Shelter
• Camping: Camping options are limited to two rustic cabins in the North Unit.
• Metal Detecting: Metal detecting is permitted in designated areas of the park. Found items are subject to review by park staff and may be retained pending further investigation.

External links

• Bald Mountain Recreation Area Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Bald Mountain Recreation Area Metal Detecting Map Michigan DNR
• Bald Mountain Recreation Area Protected Planet (World Database on Protected Areas)