Strawberry Lake 2026 08

North of Hwy 2 in Norway Michigan is a small lake called Strawberry Lake. A park was built around this lake and a paved trail provides the opportunity to hike. Last year my wife found this park and hiked it with my kids. So she took me this year.

Key Features

• Paved & Lit Loop Path: Features a 1-mile paved walking and biking trail surrounding the lake that includes evening lighting for night strolls.
• Fishing Access: Home to two accessible fishing piers, making it easy to drop a line for local species.
• Knight’s Kingdom Playground: Features a custom wooden, Viking-themed play area set on a cedar wood chip surface. Note: This was torn down when we visited this year. However it may be in the process of being rebuilt.
• Paddlesports Launch: Equipped with a dedicated canoe and kayak launch for non-motorized small craft.
• Linear Park Trailhead: Serves as a key starting point for the 4-mile City Linear Loop Park path connecting to Marion Park and downtown Norway.
• Mountain Biking Hub: Provides direct trailhead access to the Ogee biking network, maintained by the Dickinson Trail Network.
• Winter Sports: Transforms during cold months to feature a manmade ice skating rink alongside access to nearby cross-country ski and snowshoe trails.
• Host of the Leif Erikson Festival: Acts as the backdrop for the annual October festival’s Viking funeral ceremony.
• Ball Fields & Amenities: Offers baseball/soccer fields, picnic tables, benches, public restrooms, and a nearby BMX track.
• Proximity to Downtown: Situated just four blocks north of US-2 and downtown Norway, allowing easy walking access to local shops and dining.

Review

Strawberry Lake Park is on the site of the former Aragon Iron Ore Mine. The mine closed in 1945 and the lake is the flooded pit from the former mine. The site has been converted into a park and recreational site.

The first Sunday of the family camping trip we decided to take this hike. So we drove from Lake Antoine down Hwy 2 to Norway. Turning north on Main St, and a brief drive we arrived at the park.

The parking lot was partially gravel and pavement. We got out of our vehicle and prepped ourselves. Once again I setup the GoPro on my camera woman. The backpack strap mount works great when leveled appropriately.

With my camera prepped and the GoPro running we started out. First we walked past a dilapidated community garden down a gravel path to the lake and the first kayak launch. The water on the lake looked crystal clear. Only a few banks of weeds surrounded the edge of the lake.

Dragon and Damsel Flies flew around us as we walked down and back up from the lake. After the quick visit to the launch we returned to the paved path. Taking pictures of the Dragon Flies as we walked.

We then started down the paved trail. We hiked clock wise around the lake. Starting at the parking lot we hiked west shortly. The path wandered through a wild flower filled field.

Once we started north the path rejoined the lake after a small stand of trees. Fallen branches provided places for painted turtles to sun themselves above the surface of the lake.

This was were we encountered our first hikers. A pair of older men who had been sitting on a bench near the edge of the pond had gotten up when we approached and started to walk counter to us. Their companion was a very good dog named Bandit. This small mutt, sniffed my hand and jumped up to get pets from my wife. While he was jumping up on my wife he was very patient gentlemanly in his approach. We said our greetings as we passed.

As we passed the bench the men were sitting at, we saw fish in the water. The fish were eating something floating at the surface. We realized that the food they were eating was something like Cheerios floating on the surface. There were dozens of small Sunfish and a few large enough to eat.

We continued on and the path raised up the side of the hill. The small rise followed a residential road and houses could be seen from the trail. Eventually though the path dropped back down to the lake’s level.

A small off shoot of the trail led to one of the fishing docks on the lake. Once again we could see fish in the water around the dock. An older woman and two young girls road their bikes down to the dock as we were watching the fish.

We saw a turtle surface off the edge of the dock, and we tried to point it out to the kids. However it sank below the surface prior to the girls seeing it. So I mentioned to the woman that there were other turtles sunning themselves further back on the trail. They were riding their bikes the opposite direction of us and I thought they might get a kick out of seeing the turtles.

The woman and girls peddled off and we continued on our hike. A bridge took us across a stream feeding the lake. Then we encountered another dock.

The other dock was in a place were the lake got deep fast. This dock was in a shallow area and was just above the water. There was also a gravelly beach that would be easy to launch a canoe or kayak. At this point we were a little more than halfway around the lake.

We continued on and the trail once again climbed a hill. This hill formed a kind of penisula in the lake and featured the restrooms, demolished playground, and another feature.

Last year when my wife and kids visited this place they found a gazebo. There is a story told on the internet about a Dungeons and Dragons game where the Dungeon Master described a gazebo. The players unaware of what a Gazebo was, thought it was a monster they needed to defeat. While this is a funny story we talk about, my wife and daughter found out that some gazebos fight back.

Apparently yellow jackets built a nest below the ramp up the gazebo. They angered the nest and were stung as a result. I did happen to see a yellow jacket on our visit, however we declined to brave the gazebo just in case.

The gazebo also happened to be close to the rest rooms and the demolished Viking play area. My wife took a pit stop, while I took some pictures of the pompom thistles growing near the gazebo.

Once my wife returned to me we continued the last stretch to return to our car. On this last stretch we passed the woman and two girls. They informed us that they were able to see the turtle sunning on the west end of the lake. They thanked us for the information and continued on their way.

We returned to our vehicle having enjoyed our hike. I talked with my wife about the possibility that this may be a good place to buy a day fishing pass on our camping trip next year. We packed up and returned to our campsite.

Strawberry Lake is a nice short hike. Our time there was limited as I had to return home that day and we had other sites to visit. However in looking at the background for this trail I found that it is a great place to start a longer hike around Norway Michigan.

Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoyed the photos and videos. Please leave a message in the comments below or in the Facebook and Youtube comments.