Families enjoy kayaking on Gilligan Lake

Next free parks program is blueberry picking at Huyser Farm.

Steve Eikenhout launches fellow kayakers into Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

Steve Eikenhout helped launch several kayakers into Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, and when he got his turn to step into a kayak, he paused and looked at Myriah Williams.

“No monsters, right?” he joked pointing to the glassy water off the lake off 66th Street.

“No monsters. Just us,” Williams, cultural history educator with the Outdoor Discovery Center, laughed as she pushed the Zeeland man away from the shore and into the lake dotted with more than a dozen small boats. “Only the fish are scared.”

Jennifer LaForest, naturalist with the Outdoor Discovery Center, helps push a kayaker into Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

About 20 people paddled around the 20-acre lake between 142nd and 144th avenues as part of the free outdoor program led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

Check out a launch video here.

Check out more kayaks on the lake here.

The program supplied single and double kayaks, paddles, life jackets and facts about the wildlife, from the small snails children collected on the shore to the fish hiding in the reeds in the lake.

A kayaker waits to paddle into Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

Up next

The next free program is Blueberry Fields Forever from 11 a.m. to noon on Monday, July 21, at Huyser Farm Park, 4188 64th St.

Learn about blueberries and how they have become a West Michigan industry. Bring collection buckets to take home some free blueberries from the u-pick, organic blueberry patch. Sturdy shoes and insect repellent encouraged.

All ages welcome. Guardians stay with the class.

Registration is not required but appreciated.

Other free upcoming programs:

Aug. 21 at 10 a.m.: Incredible Insects at Shore Acres Park, 6602 138th Ave.

Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.: Hawk Watch at Laketown Township Beach, 6710 142nd Ave.

Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.: Night Hike at Huyser Farm Park, 4188 64th St.

For more information, visit OutdoorDiscovery.org.

A spectator takes photos at Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, where kayakers participated in a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Jeanette Locher checks in on Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, during a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Kayakers on the water Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Kayakers head out onto the water Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Kayakers on Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Participants grab paddles and life jackets before heading out onto Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission. Jennifer LaForest, naturalist with the Outdoor Discovery Center, sort through the equipment.
Steve Eikenhout carries a kayak to the shores of Gilligan Lake in Laketown Township on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as part of a free program sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.