A Walk in the Park is an ongoing series from State Journal photographer Nick King, who intends to explore Lansing area parks one hour at a time. If you have a suggestion of a park he should visit, email him at nking@lsj.com.
The McNamara Canoe Landing park in Mason is the perfect spot to head out on your kayak for a river tour, enjoy nature trails or do some fishing.
The park, located at 6450 W. Columbia Road, is 30 minutes downstream from the Riverbend Natural Area, 45 minutes downstream from Burchfield Park and an hour or more upstream from Bunker Road Canoe Landing in Eaton Rapids.
The landing was the last addition to the Burchfield Park system and was once farmland owned by the McNamara family. Visitors can even find an old manure spreader hidden along the trails.
From the good-sized parking lot, there’s a paved walkway leading to an EZ Launch dock, making for an easy and accessible place to get in and out of the river on a kayak or canoe. There are spots along the river and a large pond with a dock for guests looking for fishing opportunities. Fishing in the pond is catch and release only.
If you’re not looking for water recreation, the landing has natural, maintained hiking trails through forest areas and along the river. There are plenty of plants, flowers and trees to take in on the route. There are picnic tables available for outdoor dining and benches for relaxation and taking in the natural beauty. Natural bike trails are also a feature of the park.
Wildlife is abundant at McNamara Canoe Landing and it’s common to spot various birds, cranes, ducks and geese, deer and other small mammals.
There are permanent bathrooms on site and leashed dogs are allowed. Ingham County Parks charge a vehicle entrance fee of $3 for county residents and $5 for nonresidents. An annual Ingham County parks pass also is an option.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Mason’s McNamara Landing offers Grand River kayak/canoe launch, trails and fishing pond
Reporting by Nick King, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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