The swim beach at North Higgins Lake State Park is the buoyed day-use beach of a 449-acre park run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on the north shore of Higgins Lake, in Crawford County. The park occupies the grounds of the old Higgins Lake Nursery, once Michigan's first state tree nursery, and tall pines shade the back of the sand. Higgins Lake is a glacial, largely spring-fed lake of roughly 9,600 acres, the tenth largest in Michigan, about 7 miles long and as deep as 135 feet. Its water is famously clear. Roscommon is about nine miles east and Grayling about twelve miles north.

The park address is 11747 N. Higgins Lake Drive, Roscommon. North Higgins Lake Drive runs along the top of the park between US-127 and I-75, and the entrance road passes a contact station before reaching the day-use lots behind the bathhouse. Vehicles need a Michigan Recreation Passport; walk-ins and cyclists do not, and the paved Iron Belle Trail runs through the park along Old US-27, so cyclists can ride straight in.

The swimming area is a roped and buoyed section of shoreline in front of the accessible beach house, which has restrooms. The beach and the lake bottom are both sand, staying shallow and clear for a good distance before the lake falls away toward much deeper water, so weaker swimmers should keep inside the buoys. Because so much of the lake's water comes from springs, it stays cool well into summer and the first swims of the season are cold. The DNR provides an accessible walkway to the water, a beach wheelchair to borrow and a free track chair. It does not list lifeguards here, so plan to supervise your own group.

Day-use hours at Michigan state parks are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Swimming is free once you are in, but driving in is not. For Michigan-plated cars the Recreation Passport is annual only: $15 when added at license plate renewal through the Secretary of State, or $29 for two years, with a $5 convenience fee if bought anywhere else. Out-of-state vehicles pay $12 for a day pass or $42 for an annual pass, sold at the park.

The park's boating access site, with two skid piers and red and green channel markers, sits in the same day-use area just west of the swim beach, so expect boat traffic close by and stay out of the marked channel. Summer weekends get crowded, and wind across seven miles of open water can raise real chop. Pets are not allowed on the swim beach, but there is a designated pet beach east of the day-use area where leashed dogs can go in. Local health departments post E. coli results and closures for Michigan beaches on EGLE's BeachGuard map, and the DNR lists park closures on its closures page. Check both before you go.

Beyond the beach, the day-use area has a reservable pavilion, first-come picnic tables with charcoal grills and two playgrounds. The Higgins Lake Nursery and CCC Museum, inside the park, tells the story of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan; admission is free, and after September 1 it opens by appointment only. The park also has a year-round modern campground, mini cabins, roughly 11 miles of hiking and ski trails that continue into state forest land, EV fast chargers and perch and lake trout fishing.