Moon Lake: Partially Abandoned County Park
Moon Lake is lovely mishmash of natural beauty and urban decay. The lake and forest were once a county park, meaning it was similar to a state or national park in that I providing hiking trails, camping amid the forest and boating and fishing on the mystical sounding Moon Lake. During its run as a county park the facilities included a swimming pool, picnic pavilions, basketball and tennis courts, as well as an education center and marina. The park was a popular, wonderful place to spend the day or weekend enjoying nature. In fact, my parents chose the pool with its attached picnic pavilion for my twelfth birthday party. However, due to budget cuts the county voted to first close the pool and other facilities and then to transfer ownership of the entire park to the state in 2015. The park is now maintained by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Bureau of Forestry. They still permit hiking, boating and fishing, but have not reopened any of th