Otsego Lake State Park is a charming and popular family park easily accessible
to I-75 and Gaylord, "The Alpine Village." The park is shaded with large oak,
maple and pine. It encompasses 62 acres and provides more than a half mile of
sandy beach and large sites near or within sight of the lake. Otsego Lake was
established as a state park in 1920.
The property was purchased very reasonably from a lumber company who had
lumbered it off. In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Crop (CCC) built buildings
and made other improvements to the grounds. The remaining CCC buildings are the
pavilion in the center of the North Campground and a portion of the South
campground toilet building. Two-thirds of the 155 campsites are in the North
Campground. The terrain gently rises and the sites overlook the lake. The other
one-third are in the South campground and are lower and closer to the lake. The
majority of the sites are large, flat and shady.
