We were camping at Holland State Park, which isn't that far away & decided to take a morning to see the pier & lighthouses at Grand Haven. Unfortunately, we picked the Saturday they were having the Kite Fest on the beach so the parking was CRAZY!
I asked the guy at the gate how to get to the pier & he said "cut through the campground". I'm pretty sure there's a city park outside the state park, but like I said- crazy weekend parking.
My thoughts on Grand Haven State Park is the sites are VERY tight. I thought Holland was bad, but Grand Haven is much worse.
The pro- You can get a site right on the beach. Imagine sitting & watching the sunset every night from the comfort of your site! You get a nice view of the lighthouses.
The cons- Very Tight Sites! This is also a very small state park, so it's parking lot/beach/campground & that's about it. There's only 1 bathhouse. You have to bring your own portable fire pit. No hiking trail, unless you count the walk to the pier.