On the other side of the lake,  the city and state have been pouring millions into fixing up and expanding Kollen Park.  Thanks to a generous easement  by the Heinz Corporation, a new boardwalk was constructed and completed in October 2008.    The city has shown some pretty good foresight in their continued efforts to make the lake more accessible to residents.

Adjoining Kollen Park is a very nice waterfront restaurant called Boatwerks that was opened several years ago.  They have a great bar area, and a ton of outdoor seating (with umbrellas).

Outdoor dining at Boatwerks

The new boardwalk allows ambitious walkers to walk from Rosewood Pointe down Howard ave (using sidewalks or low traffic side road), over the new bridge, into downtown Holland and the Holland Farmer’s market and then back up along the south side of Lake Macatawa, stop for an outdoor lunch at Boatwerk’s, and then continue up the boardwalk through Kollen’s Park and past the Heinz Pickle Factory.

Layout of Boatwerks

According to Google, that is a 3.1 mile walk – one way!! Here is a map showing the route:

How to walk from Rosewood Pointe to Kollen Park

New Boat Launch at Kollen Park in Holland Michigan

Boardwalk stairs leading to the top of Mount Pisgah

The Facts:

Mount Pisgah is…
• owned by the Ottawa County Parks Department
• located east of Holland State Park
• rises 157 feet above Lake Michigan
• has north-south width of 524 feet
• has east-west width of 656 feet

The base begins with a trailhead kiosk along Ottawa Beach Road that will have a bench, maps and historical information, Scholtz said. From there, a paved trail leads past a landscaped area and through a forest to a large bike-rack spot.

The path then transforms into a turnpike trail, which has wooden retaining walls, stones and fabric beneath it, before leading to the staircase.

“It’s going to be a bonus for the public for many years to come,� said Joyce Rhodes, Holland State Park supervisor. “Walking up those stairs is a lot easier than climbing up the dunes.�

Once on top of the dune, a boardwalk and stair system leads to a higher view of Big Red and Lake Michigan. Another boardwalk takes visitors along the narrow ridge of Mount Pisgah and connects with Holland State Park trails.

This is a really nice piece of work by the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Department.  My wife and I have always enjoyed hiking the sand dunes near the Holland State Park.  But getting to the dunes was always very difficult.  Even though it sounds like we won’t actually be able to hike the dunes, at least there is now an easy way to access the dunes and enjoy the views!

Here are a few pictures and a map: