Another favorite place to take our tailwaggers is McCourtie Park in the northeast corner of Hillsdale County – just a mile or two south of the Jackson Co./Hillsdale Co. line. It is especially a favorite spot of our English Springer Spaniel, Schatz.
McCourtie Park was once the home of William H.L. McCourtie, a prominent businessman and community leader. As part of his legacy he transformed his 42-acre estate into a ‘show-place’ of sorts – with 17 unique bridges that cross the stream that runs through the estate that are made of sculpted cement to look like logs, planks of wood and ropes. McCourtie died in 1933 and ownership changed hands several times before Somerset Township bought the park in 1987. McCourtie Park is now the home of a baseball diamond, tennis and volleyball courts, an 18-hole disc golf course, a pavilion and numerous picnic areas and permanent grills.
What does our little Schatzi like best about McCourtie Park? She loves the stream that snakes through the park! We put her on a 30 foot lead and let her jump in and out and go from side to side all the way down the stream. There are parts of the stream that are deep enough for her to swim, as well as parts that are shallow enough for her to wade. She also likes to walk through the wooded parts, as well as there are loads of good smells up and around the baseball field and through the disc course (if no one is playing).
The atmosphere at McCourtie Park is also quite amazing. We always run into interesting people to talk to and everyone is friendly – whether it be a volunteer groundskeeper, a group of women holding their monthly book club at the park or a family with kids having a picnic – everyone is friendly. The park is also incredibly well maintained and has garbage barrels here and there for the sake of convenience.
McCourtie Park is located at 12715 E. Chicago Rd, Somerset Center (S. Jackson Rd and US-12). It is open from dawn to dusk. Both entrances are off of S. Jackson Rd. Dogs are welcome but need to be on a leash and – as always – you need to pick up after your pup.
