The paved path along Lake Harbor Road is no longer a project. Norton Shores installed a dedication plaque at the base of the Lake Harbor Trail near the Lake Harbor Park parking lot, and City Administrator Anthony Chandler reported it in his October 8, 2025 update to the mayor and council. A year later, the trail is the only part of this stretch of lakeshore parks that is actually finished.
Everything around it is in progress as of October 2026. A short connector inside Lake Harbor Park is still in design. A splash pad has state money but no construction date. Dune Harbor Park is still officially "in development." On November 3, a countywide ballot question will decide whether parks and trails get a dedicated source of money for the next decade. The corridor is being assembled one piece at a time, and this month several of those pieces reach a deadline or a vote.
Two miles of pavement on the west side of Lake Harbor Road
The scope has not changed since the city approved the contract in September 2024. WOOD TV reported then that the 8-foot-wide path would run just over two miles along the west side of Lake Harbor Road, from the Mona Lake Channel Bridge to Henry Street, connecting P.J. Hoffmaster State Park with Lake Harbor Park. The council picked Weick Brothers Excavating to build it for about $1.7 million.
People were already using the trail before it was done. At the June 17, 2025 City Council meeting, Council Member Hylland said he appreciated the trail's "near completion and active use." DPW Director Jim Murphy said it should be complete by mid-July. Murphy also told the council that a trail sweep had been approved in the upcoming budget, which answered a question about who would keep the pavement clear.
The same minutes show where the council wants the trail to go next. Council members Hylland, Morgenstern and Kasher each spoke in favor of eventually extending the Lake Harbor Trail to Ottawa County. No extension project appears on the city's current engineering schedule. For now it is a goal council members have stated, not a project with a budget.
The last few hundred feet at the Lake Harbor Park end
The trail ends at Lake Harbor Park, but it does not yet tie into the paved path inside the park. That gap is the next project. The city's October 2026 engineering sheet lists the Lake Harbor Connector Trail, running from Lake Harbor Road to the paved trail within Lake Harbor Park. It carries a $100,000 estimate paid from Capital Improvement Funds. The estimated start is fall 2026 and the estimated completion is spring 2027, but its status column still says "In Design Phase."
Lake Harbor Park is also in line for something new. On August 20, 2026, the governor's office announced funding for 75 local park and recreation projects, including $190,500 for the city of Norton Shores to build a splash pad at Lake Harbor Park. The announcement gives no construction schedule, and the splash pad does not yet appear on the city's engineering sheet.
As of early October 2026, the pieces of the corridor stand at these stages:
| Piece | Status, October 2026 | Money behind it | Timing on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Harbor Trail | Built and dedicated | About $1.7 million contract, approved 2024 | Plaque installed by Oct. 8, 2025 |
| Lake Harbor Connector Trail | In design | $100,000 estimate, city Capital Improvement Funds | Fall 2026 start, spring 2027 finish, both estimates |
| Lake Harbor Park splash pad | Funded | $190,500 from the state | No date announced |
| Dune Harbor Park master plan | Park open, still in development | $250,000 Consumers Energy grant, 2025 | Phased, ongoing |
| Extension toward Ottawa County | Supported by council members in June 2025 | None identified | None |
Dune Harbor Park, still officially a work in progress
Head north to Lincoln Street and the same pattern repeats at a larger scale. Muskegon County calls Dune Harbor its newest and largest park: 377 acres on the former Nugent Sand property, split into a North Lake and a South Lake, with trails through hardwood forest, dunes and wetlands. A sandy trail leads to about 1,660 feet of Lake Michigan beach. The county's park page, updated in August 2026, still says the park "is currently in development." Its master plan was prepared with the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program and Purdue University's landscape architecture department. The plan calls for ecological restoration, invasive species removal, accessible overlooks, trail stabilization, Lake Michigan beach access and camping.
Some of that work has money attached. MLive reported in July 2025 that the park had received a $250,000 Consumers Energy grant for ecological restoration, native planting, pollinator habitat, better trail access and signage. The grant pays for the work, but the county has not said the work is finished.
Visiting in October follows a few rules that change with the season. From October through April, Dune Harbor is open sunrise to sunset; from May through September, it is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Every vehicle needs a Muskegon County park pass year-round, at $7 for a day or $25 for the season. The South Lake has two lots, the Lincoln Lot at 3071 Lincoln St. and the Seminole Lot at 2161 Seminole Rd. A 2.3-mile sandy trail circles the whole lake. To reach the North Lake, take the trail northwest from the Lincoln Lot to the crosswalk over Winnetaska Road, which is a dirt road with no parking allowed along it. Signs mark where county land ends and private property begins on the north and northeast sides of the North Lake. The county asks visitors to follow them and not walk around the entire lake.
The restoration work also takes volunteers. On Friday, October 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Muskegon County Parks and the Muskegon Conservation District will meet volunteers at the Lincoln Lot and lead them to eroding areas to plant dune grass. The county notes that dune grass roots can grow up to 20 feet deep. Volunteers can register through United Way of the Lakeshore and do not have to stay for the whole shift.
Hoffmaster's October calendar
Hoffmaster is the largest established park in the corridor, and its October events are mostly small. The Michigan DNR lists a Harvest Festival from October 9 to 11 at 6585 Lake Harbor Road, but it is for campers only. The one open to everyone is on Saturday, October 17, from 2 to 3 p.m. "Inside the State Park" meets at the visitor center and gives adults and children a look at how a state park runs day to day, with time to talk with a park interpreter. It is free with registration. The Ravenna Branch of the Muskegon Area District Library is hosting it as part of the Big Read Lakeshore, this year built around books by Dave Eggers and Monique Gray Smith.
The November 3 question, as written
The city is paying for the connector trail, and the state is paying for the splash pad. The county parks along this shoreline, Dune Harbor among them, are the subject of the countywide ballot question. On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Muskegon County voters will decide on a new 0.5-mill Parks and Trails Millage for ten years, starting in December 2026 and expiring after the 2035 tax year. The county's millage page lays out how the money would be divided:
70% be used to support Muskegon County Parks, regional trails, greenways, and countywide outdoor recreation facilities such as the County Fairgrounds or Heritage Landing. Up to 30% will be made available for distribution to cities, villages, and townships for improvements to local parks and recreation facilities.
The county says that by law the money could only go to parks, trails and greenways. The proposal does not name a specific Norton Shores project. Projects would be chosen later through planning and the annual budget.
Muskegon County Parks staff and Parks Commission members will hold a town hall on Wednesday, October 7, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the Norton Shores Branch of the Muskegon Area District Library, 705 Seminole Rd. The program is a short overview of the 0.5-mill levy and how the money would be split, followed by questions. Up to 30% of the money would be available to the county's 27 local units of government.
October dates along the corridor
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 to 7 p.m.: Parks & Trails Millage town hall, Norton Shores Branch Library, 705 Seminole Rd.
- Friday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 11: Hoffmaster Harvest Festival, for registered campers only.
- Friday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Dune grass planting at the Dune Harbor Park Lincoln Lot, 3071 Lincoln St.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 2 to 3 p.m.: "Inside the State Park" at the Hoffmaster visitor center, free with registration.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: The countywide Parks and Trails Millage is on the ballot.
Through the end of April, Dune Harbor closes at sunset and still requires a county park pass for every vehicle.
Owners near Lake Harbor Road should know where each of these projects stands, because buyers will ask whether the parks and trails nearby are finished, funded or still in planning. If you're thinking about selling near this stretch of shoreline, Kersh Ruhl and the Michigan Homes & Cottages team can build those details into how your home is presented. Request your complimentary lakeshore marketing plan.
