Entering Central Beach from what was once a road parallel to the lake creates a bit of a grand entrance as the trees open up to the view of the beach in the distance. I remember when you could drive your car almost to this point - you couldn't park it there, but the access was open for the homes that used to be on this road.
These homes, perched on the dunes, had beautiful views of Lake Michigan, but they were all bought out by the national lakeshore. Years after acquiring the homes, they were razed to add area to the park. There are a couple of historic homes at the end far of this block, that remain because of their historic status; and are part of the national park.
Many years ago, large boulders were brought in and installed along the shore to prevent erosion of the road and the many homes lining it. This measure worked as hoped, the road is still intact, and the homes on the tall dunes have not fallen into Lake Michigan as the dunes of Central Beach have. We refer to this area as "the rocks" and it's been a turning around point of many, many hikes. The rocks do provide a place to view the lake, especially during periods of high waves or ice. The waves and splashes don't reach you as you enjoy the view, and there is no danger of falling into the water or through the ice.
I hope the areas acquired by the park will soon become trails and look-out points. These areas were once roads, driveways and house foundations, there is a basic trail system already there, it just needs marking and mapping. I'm optimistic because some other areas have been turned into trails - areas near Kemil Beach are now marked trails, and old home sites near the entrance of Central Beach are now an area of primitive campsites.
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