Sandy Bottom Park
Sandy Bottom Park is a small recreation area just outside Dollar Bay, a census-designated place just outside of Hancock. The community is named after a small bay that forms off the Keweenaw Waterway, called the Dollar Bay. Though the community isn’t incorporated, it does house a school, Dollar Bay High School, which now houses students for the entire district, kindergarten through high school, under one roof.
Sandy Bottom Park is located on the other side of Dollar Bay, a little way outside of town. The park features a pavilion with picnic tables, a small beach for swimming with buoys, a boat ramp, and beautiful views of Dollar Bay. The Dollar Bay Boat Yard is visible across the water, which isn’t the prettiest site but is unique.
There are signs that say dogs aren’t allowed on the beach and some that say they aren’t allowed in the park at all, which is confusing. While eating a snack in the car with my dog, Scrappy, another dog wandered into the park with his owners, which Scrappy was upset at because I told him that he couldn’t go in the park. I gave him a treat, and he forgave me, but we still aren’t sure what the rules are.
Sandy Bottom Park is an excellent place to have lunch, take a dip in the water, or launch your boat. The Dollar Bay connects to the Keweenaw Waterway and Portage Lake, so you can access those and Lake Superior from the boat launch. The park is a short drive from Houghton, Hancock, Lake Linden, Calumet, and other destinations in the Keweenaw Peninsula. It’s not a bad place to sit and rest after tackling something more significant, like hiking Hungarian Falls.
