It's summer time in Michigan and many people want to get out in their kayaks or canoes, but right now high water levels are keeping people on dry ground.
"All of the water tables in the state are high and saturated right now so there's no place for that additional water to run to," said Lieutenant Jen Wolf with the Michigan DNR.
That extra water is creating stronger currents and making it more challenging for kayaks and canoes to go under low-hanging branches.
"Know your abilities. Something that you may be used to doing on a calm river can be very turbulent during the high water situation," said Lt. Wolf.
"We're worried about these activities and what it means to the people who like coming out enjoying the parks," said Melissa Buzzard with Ingham County Parks.
Mountain bike trails are closed at Burchfield Park in Holt because many are under water and so is the disc golf course.
"It's been flooding some of our beach areas at Hawk Island, as well as the Soldan Dog Park which we help manage," said Buzzard.
The standing water is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
"We've had some people cancel their reservations at our shelters due to the bug population," said Buzzard.
Park employees are spraying for mosquitoes, but there's not much that can be done about the water.
"We're going to see this high water level well into August. It'll be late August, September before water starts receding," said Lt. Wolf.
With more rain in the forecast, park officials are now just waiting on Mother Nature to cooperate.
Find out about boat launch and park closures by clicking the links to the right of this story.
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