Parking for Day Visitors and Campers with More Than Two Cars

Parking for Day Visitors and Campers with More than Two Cars

Nothing can make a person grumpy like not being able to find a place to park. We want you to have a great time at SOLAR’s 40th Anniversary Celebration at Proud Lake andhave looked into parking alternatives that should provide you with enough time to park and get to the activities in which you are interested.

Parking at Proud Lake Modern Campground, where we will be holding our celebration is limited to two cars per campsite. There is a small visitor’s parking lot near the campground check-in office which serves the entire campground. If you can snag a visitor’s lot spot, well, it is your lucky day! If you can’t snag a spot in the visitor’s lot here are a couple of alternatives. (You can first come to our Site 13 central meeting spot to drop off gear.)

Parking at Proud Lake Modern Campground, where we will be holding our celebration is limited to two cars per campsite. You can come to our Site 13 central meeting spot to drop off gear. There is a small visitor’s parking lot near the campground check-in office which serves the entire campground. If you can snag a visitor’s lot spot, well, it is your lucky day! But here are a couple of alternatives:

1)Proud Lake Trailhead parking lot, behind the Proud Lake Headquarters on Wixom Rd. The access road is called Park Headquarters Rd. There is a 1.87 mile hiking/mountain bike trail leading from the parking lot to Campsite 13 (ground zero for the celebration). You will need a Recreation Passport or State Park day pass and you must be out of the lot by 10:00 pm or risk being ticketed and towed or locked in overnight!. The fine is $130 and the gates are locked! (The exit time holds true for day visitors parking at the campground, too). If you choose to road bike, it is 2.8 miles but be aware traffic is fast on these roads and the there are no bike paths or bike lanes. Make sure you are visible, especially in the evening!

2)
Gilbert C Willis Memorial Park is south of Glengary Rd near the Proud Lake Modern Campground and is open until 10:00 pm. The address of the park is 2166 Chickasaw, Wixom, MI. Chickasaw St is accessed from Loon Lake Rd, .8 miles from N Wixom Rd.You can’t see the park from Glengary Rd because of a large berm but you can take a path from Gilbert C Willis Memorial Park and cross Glengary Rd to a trail on the Proud Lake side.With a couple of easy turns the trailcomes out at one of the SOLAR campsites. It is about a halfbetween a half and three-quarters of a mile hike depending on where you park. .You can put those Basic Land Nav skills to use and follow the map below, but we will also mark the turns.
You can also ride your bike on the roads from the park: Chickasaw > Loon Lake > N Wixom > Glengary > Proud Lake Rec Rd. It is 2.3 miles. These roads have fast-moving traffic so be confident of your skills (and nerve) and make sure you are visible, especially if you will staying until the park closes at 10:00 pm.
Alternatively, you can take a shortcut on a dirt path through the park into the neighborhood and then onto Glengary Rd or go over the berm directly to Glengary Rd and then on to Proud Lake Rec Rd. Either way is a bit over a mile. The image below shows the path to the neighborhood.

3)Maple Glen Park, a large, busy athletic park, is located less than a mile west of Proud Lake Rec Road on the Lakes Community Trail and Glengary Rd.

General caution: The connector trails leading from the Proud LakeTrailhead parking lot and from Glengary Rd (“Proud Lake-Hickory Glen Connector”) are clearly visible but are narrow. They might be overgrown with thorny plants or poison ivy and could be buggy. Be prepared!Have a headlamp if you’ll be walking after dark.

And now, a disclaimer: A SOLAR member has scouted out these public parking areas but has not discussed them with anyone in authority over them. (If you don’t ask permission you can’t be denied it!) We are basing our information on rules and times posted at the parks and on their websites. So…we are pretty sure it is ok but it is park-at-your-own-risk. That risk goes up if you return to your vehicle after the posted hours of 10 pm.

And, especially in Gilbert C Willis Memorial Park, please be considerate of those actually using the park for recreation and find an unobtrusive spot for your car. The shortest path to Glengary Rd begins by the pavilion and playground, but those parking spots should be left to those using those areas. Our cars are also probably safest from tickets if people who have rented the pavilion or want to use the play area are not calling the authorities to complain that all the parking spaces are taken!