Coldwater Lake Family Park: an all-sports lake near Weidman

On the western side of Isabella County, near the little community of Weidman, the county runs a park wrapped around the shore of an all-sports lake — the kind where a pontoon boat and a tubing rope are perfectly at home. Coldwater Lake Family Park, at 1703 N. Littlefield Road, packs a lot onto its grounds: a sandy beach and swimming area, a modern boat launch, sand volleyball, horseshoes, and basketball, with three pavilions for when the whole extended family shows up.

What makes it more than a day-use spot is the campground. There are 98 modern campsites and five rustic cabins, enough to turn a Saturday cookout into a long weekend without ever leaving the water. The county has put real effort into making the place work for everyone, too — an accessible bathhouse, an EZ Dock kayak launch you can roll right up to, beach chairs built for sand, and an accessible walkway down to the swimming area.

“All-sports” is the phrase worth knowing here. Unlike the quieter no-wake lakes scattered around the county, Coldwater allows the full range of powerboating, so summer afternoons bring water-skiers and tubers cutting across the same water where someone’s grandkid is learning to swim near shore.

A county vehicle permit gets you through the gate, and the same pass works at Deerfield and Herrick. Show up early on a hot July weekend, though — the shady campsites near the beach are the first ones gone, and the regulars know exactly which loops to book.