Fort Custer Recreation Area
Located in Augusta between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Fort Custer features three lakes, the Kalamazoo River, second-growth forests, prairie restoration areas, a 219-site campground, and a trail system used by mountain bikers, equestrians, hikers, and dog-sledders.
Activities
Boat Rental: Canoe, kayak and row boat rentals are available at the beach house located on Eagle Lake.
Cross Country Ski: All park trails are open to cross-country skiing. Please note that a few sections on the red and green trails are steep and encompass sharp turns.
Dog Sledding: Sections of the yellow, red and green trails are open to dog sledding. This is a multiple-use trail.
Equestrian: There are approximately 20 miles of trails available for horseback riding. The trail is shared with hikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers.
Fishing: Bass, blue gill, crappie, pike and channel catfish are found in all three lakes, each with boating access sites. Eagle Lake also includes walleye, carp and northern muskie. A universally accessible fishing pier is located at Whitford-Lawler Lake.
Hiking: All park trails are open to hiking.
Hunting: The park is open to all species during regular seasons from September 15 to March 31. This park has excellent deer and rabbit hunting, along with opportunities for squirrel. The park is open for trapping with excellent opportunities for muskrat on Whitford Lake.
Mountain Biking: There are approximately 25 miles and four multi-use trails with various levels of difficulty open to mountain biking. The red, green and yellow trails are accessible from the mountain bike trailhead. The yellow trail is accessible to campers from the campground (east loop). The blue trail winds around Whitford-Lawler and Jackson Hole lakes and the trailhead is located near the Whitford Lake picnic shelter.
In the winter, a section of the green trail is groomed for fat- tire biking.
Paddling: There are lots of paddling opportunities in the park's three non-wake lakes and the Kalamazoo River.
Snowshoeing: All park trails are open to snowshoeing.
Swimming: There is a swim beach on Eagle Lake.
Winter Camping: The campground is open all year.
Campgrounds
Fort Custer-Group Use Area
Fort Custer-Modern
Fort Custer-Rustic Cabins
Trails
Fort Custer-Trails (4 trails)
Trail Length: 25.00 (Miles)
Facilities
Beach: The beach is located on Eagle Lake.
Beach House: The beach house is located on Eagle Lake and includes restrooms, food concessions and rentals (kayaks, canoes, row boats).
Boat Launch: There is a boat launch located on Whitford-Lawler Lake, Jackson Hole Lake, Eagle Lake and the Kalamazoo River. No wake rules are enforced. Eagle Lake has a barrier-free dock and all launch sites have concrete ramps.
Fishing Pier: A universally accessible fishing pier is located at Whitford-Lawler Lake.
Picnic Area: Grills available.
Picnic Shelter: Three universally accessible picnic shelters are available. Two are located at Eagle Lake and one is located at Whitford-Lawler Lake.
Playground: There is a playground located behind each toilet/shower building in the campground.
