Michigan Is Giving You Two Days of Totally Free Outdoor Fun

What Is Michigan’s Three Free Weekend?

Celebrate Michiganders! Free Fishing / Three Free Weekend is upon us, which means this Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, 2025, no fishing licenses, no Recreation Passport required for state parks or boat launches, just two days of guilt-free outdoor time.

Gen X Kids, This One’s for You

Growing up in Gen X Michigan, we lived by two words: "Go outside." It wasn't a suggestion—it was a command.

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And it wasn't with a "Here's your iPad," and a gentle pat on the back. No, we were throttled out of the open garage door and into the wilds of city streets, back roads, lakes, rivers, and forests to entertain ourselves.

So, we did. We fished. We rode bikes, motorcycles, and four-wheelers on trails that may or may not have been legal or safe. We came home sunburned, scraped up, and sometimes smelling like we'd waded through a swamp (because we had).

Our parents couldn't have been happier. If we were fishing or off-roading, we weren’t home asking for snacks.

No License? No Problem.

That's why Michigan's Three Free Weekend is a beautiful throwback to our childhoods, only it's not just our parents, but the whole state telling us to "Go outside."

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And we should! Not only can you fish for free this weekend, but you can ride the ORV trails and visit Michigan's state parks without spending a dime.

Leave the iPads—Take the Sunscreen

Think of how happy your parents would be to find out you spent the entire day outside without spending any money. This time, though, take some sunblock, a first aid kit, and remember you're not 16 anymore; leave the jumping to the kids who were told to "Go outside."