Van Riper State Park is a public recreation area located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, 17 miles (27 km) west of Ishpeming on US Highway 41.[2] The state park's 1,100 acres (450 ha) lie partly in Michigamme Township and partly in Champion Township, both in Marquette County. The park has about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of frontage along the eastern shores of Lake Michigamme, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of frontage along the shores of the Peshekee River.
| Van Riper State Park | |
|---|---|
  Location in Michigan  Van Riper State Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Marquette County, Michigan, United States |
| Nearest city | Ishpeming, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 46°31′26″N 87°59′03″W / 46.52389°N 87.98417°W |
| Area | 1,100 acres (450 ha) |
| Elevation | 1,588 feet (484 m) |
| Established | 1956[1] |
| Administered by | Michigan Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Michigan state park |
| Website | Official website  |
History
editThe park is named after Dr. Paul Van Riper, who practiced medicine in the area for most of his 91 years, and was involved in the politics of the region. He was also the father of pioneering speech-language pathologist and author Charles Van Riper. While serving on the Marquette County Board, he persuaded the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company to turn the property over to the local township for use as a public park. A beach pavilion and changing house were built by the county in 1924. In 1956, the property was turned over to the state to become a state park.[3]
Activities and amenities
editThe state park offers swimming, picnicking, fishing, campgrounds and cabins, and five miles of hiking trails.[2]
Climate
edit| Climate data for Van Riper State Park, Michigan, 1991–2020 normals, 1951-2020 extremes: 1599ft (487m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) |
61 (16) |
72 (22) |
92 (33) |
93 (34) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
94 (34) |
86 (30) |
73 (23) |
60 (16) |
98 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 38.6 (3.7) |
45.6 (7.6) |
58.1 (14.5) |
73.7 (23.2) |
84.2 (29.0) |
88.9 (31.6) |
88.2 (31.2) |
87.1 (30.6) |
83.2 (28.4) |
75.4 (24.1) |
55.8 (13.2) |
43.1 (6.2) |
90.2 (32.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 22.6 (−5.2) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
38.1 (3.4) |
50.3 (10.2) |
65.8 (18.8) |
74.6 (23.7) |
77.0 (25.0) |
76.5 (24.7) |
68.6 (20.3) |
53.9 (12.2) |
38.5 (3.6) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
51.5 (10.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 12.4 (−10.9) |
12.6 (−10.8) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
36.8 (2.7) |
50.3 (10.2) |
59.7 (15.4) |
63.8 (17.7) |
62.9 (17.2) |
55.9 (13.3) |
42.7 (5.9) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
17.9 (−7.8) |
39.0 (3.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 2.1 (−16.6) |
−0.5 (−18.1) |
9.3 (−12.6) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
34.8 (1.6) |
44.8 (7.1) |
50.5 (10.3) |
49.2 (9.6) |
43.1 (6.2) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
9.5 (−12.5) |
26.5 (−3.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −23.9 (−31.1) |
−23.9 (−31.1) |
−20.5 (−29.2) |
3.2 (−16.0) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
27.2 (−2.7) |
34.9 (1.6) |
33.7 (0.9) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
2.2 (−16.6) |
−16.3 (−26.8) |
−29.9 (−34.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −40 (−40) |
−44 (−42) |
−39 (−39) |
−17 (−27) |
11 (−12) |
7 (−14) |
25 (−4) |
27 (−3) |
15 (−9) |
4 (−16) |
−13 (−25) |
−38 (−39) |
−44 (−42) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.80 (46) |
1.32 (34) |
2.07 (53) |
2.51 (64) |
2.99 (76) |
3.25 (83) |
3.87 (98) |
3.42 (87) |
3.54 (90) |
3.63 (92) |
2.32 (59) |
2.05 (52) |
32.77 (834) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 26.3 (67) |
16.8 (43) |
20.2 (51) |
6.6 (17) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
5.1 (13) |
17.9 (45) |
26.7 (68) |
120.3 (305.75) |
| Source 1: NOAA(1981-2010 precip/snowfall)[4][5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS (records & monthly max/mins)[6] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Van Riper State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ "Park to celebrate golden aniversary [sic], namesake". The Mining Journal. Marquette, Mich. July 4, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ "Champion Van Riper State Park, Michigan 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "Champion Van Riper State Park, Michigan 1981-2010 Monthly Normals". Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "xmACIS". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
External links
edit- Van Riper State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Van Riper State Park Map Michigan Department of Natural Resources