Island Lake Recreation Area is a state-run protected landscape in Green Oak Township in southeastern Michigan, in the Metro Detroit area. Spanning about 4,000 acres along the Huron River and Kent Lake downstream from Kensington Metropark, it combines water, woods, and open space in one accessible destination near Interstate 96 and US 23. Visitors use its hiking and biking trails, swimming areas, small lakes, campsites, and shooting range, and it is the only Michigan state park with a hot air balloon launch area. Its scale and metropolitan location have made it one of the state system’s busiest parks, with 1.09 million visits in 2008.