Lake Darling offers variety of summer activities through pandemic

BRIGHTON - Lake Darling State Park has continued to stay open to visitors and offers a variety of outdoor activities for all ages.

Park Manager Nick Young said throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the park has allowed visitors and has slowly reopened the entities that had to be closed due to the governor's guidelines. The campgrounds, cabins and lodge are all open and ready for visitors after being thoroughly sanitized.

Young said the park offers 1,400 acres of woods to explore, 15 miles of trails and a 387 acre lake. Visitors can bring their own boats as there are no engine restrictions, just a five mile per hour noway restriction.

Those looking to explore the water but who don't have their own equipment can rent it from the park as well, he said. Kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards and row boats are all available for rent.

'We've got all sorts of things,” he said.

Since the pandemic hit and businesses began to shut down, Young said there was a big uptick in traffic in the park. That trend has continued and now that the weather is warmer and city pools have not yet opened, the beach is seeing an increase in visitors, too.

'We've got far more people that have been driving through the park,” he said. 'With the warm weather, people are looking for a good place to get out and swim.”

No lifeguard is on duty at the lake, he said, and visitors are encouraged to swim at their own risk. The area is open to everyone as long as social distancing and proper group size is maintained.

'The beach is open and it's a good place to be because COVID-19 has less spread outside so the outdoors are the place to be,” he said.

Those looking to stay a while longer can camp at any of the 80 newly opened campgrounds. Young said they have been consistently busy with visitors since being reopened at the end of May.

The bathhouses have just recently reopened but have enhanced cleaning procedures, he said. With campgrounds hosts and staff both keeping an eye on the grounds, they are cleaned consistently and frequently.

'We don't close them down for any particular length of time, just as long as it takes to clean them,” he said.

Lake Darling State Park is located at 111 Lake Darling Road in Brighton and open from 4 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. daily.