Rose Lake State Wildlife Research Area — Attraction in Woodhull Township

Experience varies depending upon who is working. Older Range Officers normally more helpful, cooperative and friendly. Younger ones this season (Spring/Summer '21), are pretty good. ROs usually wear a hat or vest. When I have visited. Last shot at 4:45pm. Seem to try to accommodate shooters arriving & leaving (eg. setting up targets, etc.). Only 6 cartridges may be loaded each time. Can fire at rate of 1 shot every 3 sec.s. No apparent human silhouettes are allowed. Strange rule. The targets are designs on paper. Not living things. Suspect most handgun shooters are practicing for self-defense. Not for hunting or competition. Facilities are well maintained. Toilet and meeting room bldg is open. Soft drink machine is gone. Water fountains turned off. In past yrs there has been a wide variety of ROs. Older guys pretty competent and mellow. Younger woman very friendly and helpful. Some younger guys, seemed to be power tripping (eg. remaining seated without any uniform, not greeting new shooters to explain rules, harshly yelling at shooters who might make an inadvertent bad move, generally doing as little as possible, generally grumpy/antagonistic, etc.) Haven't seen any of those negative types this yr., yet.

Update: July 21, 2021. Water fountains now open. Meeting rooms, restroom bldg is open with AC on.

Update: June 2022. Restroom bldg still open. Has water fountains and AC. Soft drink machine still gone. The ROs are wearing high visibility vests. Current ROs were all pleasant and helpful. Older guys especially accommodating. Saw some shooters inadvertently cross the 'safety yellow line'. Probably newer, less experienced ppl. A RO politely corrected them. The atmosphere at the range is much more pleasant than yrs past.

Update June '25: There is a separate site listing for Rose Lake Shooting Range. The hrs are limited. Closed Tues & Wed, most...

During my recent visit to Rose Lake, I had a wonderful hiking experience. The trails were well-maintained, and people were respectful of space, which made hiking there a pleasant experience. The scenery was lovely, and even in winter, it was a great place to walk trails. Although there wasn't a ton of terrain, I still enjoyed my hike. I am looking forward to visiting in the spring, as it looks like there will be plenty of wildflowers to see.

I have also been going birding at Rose Lake quite often, and it's a great spot for bird watchers. I have seen many different species of birds, even in the winter months. The park is a beautiful and serene place that is perfect for nature lovers.

Overall, I highly recommend Rose Lake to anyone looking for a peaceful and relaxing hiking experience. The park is not only great for hiking and bird watching, but it's also an excellent place for a date night with...

My family hikes the trails at rose lake as often as possible! Our youngest (3) has spent her entire life exploring the woods there. Our oldest (12) has created his own map of the area and detailed the areas that matter to him. He's even built structures, and they are always there when he returns. People are respectful of space (and there's plenty of it-- you are never following behind someone else) and take care of the trails. There is a spot that we pause to eat and spend time together, and the last time we went, we watched a mother turtle not only dig a hole, but lay her eggs and carefully fill in the hole and go on her way. It was incredible!!

I can't recommend rose lake enough. We've met frogs, chipmunks, bugs and mushrooms....even crawfish! It has not only been a place that our children have grown up, but a date night spot for my partner and I. Night exploring is a blast-- I...