Kollen Park Webcam – Holland’s Lake Macatawa Waterfront

The Kollen Park Webcam looks out from Holland’s lakefront park across Lake Macatawa in western Michigan. In its home view, a mown lawn runs down to a railed concrete walkway at the water’s edge, a lamp post stands by the shore, and a fishing deck juts into the lake on the right, with more lawns and shade trees beyond it. Across the water, a line of trees, rows of waterfront buildings and moored boats mark the far shore. The City of Holland runs the camera as part of its MIHollandCAM network, and the player carries four saved views: Home, Boardwalk, Lake Macatawa and a tighter Lake Macatawa shot. Boats crossing the lake, people on the walkway and the light shifting on the water keep the picture moving, and in winter the same lawns can sit under snow with ice on the lake.

About Kollen Park

Kollen Park sits at 240 Kollen Park Drive, on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa, west of downtown Holland. Martha Diekema Kollen gave the land to the City of Holland on February 12, 1921, in memory of her husband, George E. Kollen, who had regretted that the town had no park on the lake. She was the first woman to serve on the Holland Board of Education, and she asked that the ground become a public park and playground. The lawns had been the site of a basket factory. Work on the park began in 1927, and it was handed to the Holland City Playground Commission in 1929.

The original gift covered 19 acres. Today the park spreads over more than 24 acres (9.7 hectares), and the Heinz Waterfront Walkway adds about 1,220 meters (4,000 feet) of boardwalk along the shore. The city lists boat launching ramps, three day slips, fishing decks, a bandshell, a lakefront gazebo, a fountain, a playground, picnic shelters and year-round restrooms.

Lake Macatawa is about 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) long and 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) wide, yet shallow, averaging about 3 meters (10 feet) deep with a maximum near 10 meters (34 feet). The Macatawa River, once called the Black River, is its main inflow, and the lake drains into Lake Michigan through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers channel beside Holland State Park. Holland itself was settled in 1847 by Dutch Calvinist separatists led by Albertus van Raalte, and it counted 34,378 residents in the 2020 census.

Weather and Climate at Kollen Park

Lake Michigan lies about 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) to the west, at the far end of Lake Macatawa. The 1991 to 2020 climate normals for West Michigan Regional Airport put January highs around 0°C (32°F) and lows near -7°C (20°F). April averages highs of 14°C (57°F) and lows of 3°C (37°F), and the city’s Tulip Time festival follows in May. July is the warmest month, with highs near 28°C (82°F) and lows around 16°C (62°F).

October cools to highs of 16°C (61°F) and lows of 6°C (43°F), and by mid-month the trees along the far shore are turning yellow and orange on camera. Holland gets about 883 millimeters (34.8 inches) of precipitation a year. Winter changes the view the most: a January 2024 frame from this camera showed the lawns and walkway under snow, with broken ice across the lake and only patches of open water.

Things to Do Near Kollen Park

The park is built for time on the water. Boaters use the launch ramps and day slips to reach Lake Macatawa, anglers fish from the decks along the walkway, and the bandshell and gazebo sit back from the shore. Holland’s Fourth of July fireworks have been fired over Lake Macatawa in past years, with Kollen Park as the main place to watch and food vendors in the park through the afternoon.

Windmill Island Gardens lies about 2.8 kilometers (1.8 miles) east-northeast as the crow flies. Its centerpiece, De Zwaan, is a Dutch windmill moved from the Netherlands to Holland in 1964, and the gardens opened to the public the following year. Downtown Holland, a short drive east, runs a municipal snowmelt system that circulates heated water through pipes beneath its streets and sidewalks. At the western end of the lake, Holland State Park has units on both Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa, and the red Holland Harbor Light, known as Big Red, stands at the channel between them.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of West Michigan and its lakes, try these cameras.

• Downtown Holland Webcam
• South Haven Webcam
• Walloon Lake Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kollen Park in Holland, MI?

Kollen Park is at 240 Kollen Park Drive in Holland, Michigan, in Ottawa County, on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa. It lies west of downtown Holland and about 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) east of the lake’s channel to Lake Michigan.

What can you see on the Kollen Park Webcam?

The home view looks along the park’s waterfront: a wide lawn in front, the railed walkway and a fishing deck at the water’s edge, and Lake Macatawa stretching to a tree-lined far shore with waterfront buildings and moored boats. The player also has saved views named Boardwalk, Lake Macatawa and Lake Macatawa Tight, so the picture is not always the same.

Can you watch the Holland fireworks on the Kollen Park Webcam?

Possibly. Holland’s Fourth of July fireworks have been launched over Lake Macatawa in past years, with Kollen Park as the main viewing area, so the show happens over the water this camera faces. Whether the bursts appear on screen depends on where the camera is pointed that night, and the date and time are set each year.

Is there a boat launch at Kollen Park?

Yes. The city lists boat launching ramps at Kollen Park, along with three day slips and limited docking. Fishing decks line the waterfront walkway, and the park has parking, picnic shelters and year-round restrooms.

Can you swim in Lake Macatawa at Kollen Park?

Kollen Park is not a swimming spot. The city’s list of amenities covers boating, fishing, picnics and a playground, with no beach, and the shore in the camera’s view is a railed walkway rather than sand. For swimming, people head to Holland State Park on Lake Michigan, at the far end of Lake Macatawa.

What is the weather like at Kollen Park?

Holland has cold winters and warm summers. Normals for 1991 to 2020 give January highs around 0°C (32°F) with lows near -7°C (20°F), and July highs near 28°C (82°F) with lows around 16°C (62°F). April and October sit in between, with highs of 14°C (57°F) and 16°C (61°F).

Does Lake Macatawa freeze in winter?

It can. In a January 2024 frame from this camera, the lake off Kollen Park held broken ice with patches of open water, and the lawns and walkway were under snow. How much ice forms changes from one winter to the next, so the webcam is the quickest way to see the lake on a given day.

Source: City of Holland