Palms Book State Park

Description

Palms Book State Park is a state park in Thompson Township, Schoolcraft County, on the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Approximately 388 acres (1.6 km²) in size, it is noted for Kitch-iti-kipi, the "Big Spring" of the Upper Peninsula. The park was founded in 1926.

Kitch-iti-kipi, the spring, is a pool of clear water 400 feet (120 m) across in its largest dimension, and up to 40 feet (12 m) deep. The spring water can be seen from above as it wells upward through the pond's bottom of bedrock limestone and sand, creating a continual pattern of random eddies and cross-currents in the depths of the pond. To the Anishinaabe people that were the original inhabitants of much of the Upper Peninsula, this site was a place of mystery and wonder. The water is 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) in both winter and summer.

Since the days of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the state has operated a manually-propelled observation raft on which visitors can ride. The raft, which is fixed by cables, pulls out into the spring pond and allows the depths of the pond to be seen from above. The pond is stocked with trout.

Today, more than 10,000 gallons (40,000 liters) of water per minute gush from the pond into nearby Indian Lake. Palms Book State Park protects approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of lake frontage.

Coordinates: 46°00′28″N 86°22′42″W / 46.00769°N 86.37829°W / 46.00769; -86.37829