Some Of My Favorite Places For Camping
Here are several State Campgrounds in Michigan I really like to go camping at. I liked it more when I was a kid, they changed the rules. The DNR has made a few changes I don’t much care for and wish they would fix it. Have linked the campgrounds to their websites, if they had a good one available.
Modern Camping
These all have power on site, bath houses with showers, sewer dump and water fill stations, as well as water access throughout the park and rangers on duty all day.
Aloha State Park – One of my favorites. Big campground, has excellent fishing. Safe harbor for your fishing boat with lots located right where you can bring your boat in and tie off on your lot. Shore and jetty fishing, so you don’t need a boat. Good for pan fish and bullhead. Mullet Lake is a beautiful lake that is part of the inland waterway of Northern Lower Michigan. Small little town located right at the entrance of the park. Big pavilion and picnic area. Larger town not too far off, for entertainment, dining, shopping and services.
Burt Lake State Park – Another favorite of mine. Nice beach and picnic area on the warm waters of Burt Lake, located in Indian River Michigan. Great beach for small children, you can walk out for a long ways before the water gets deep, playground, and shade trees. Nice to stick your beach chair down in the water and keep cool on hot days. Walking distance to town and activities. Large park with both modern and more rustic sites. No shore fishing, but with a boat and access to a very large lake that is part of the Inland Waterway of Northern Lower Michigan, your sure to have some luck. Nice trail to the World’s Largest Crucifix.
Petoskey State Park – Nice park, smaller than the previous two, but it has sand dunes to climb. You can search for Petoskey stones and ride the waves of Lake Michigan on a raft. Water gets deep quick, is usually quite cold, so not the best swimming in early months of summer. Lots are small, but more private with trees between most lots. I have many fond memories of camping here.
Brimley State Park – We did not go here often, but will always remember watching the large freighters coming across Lake Superior to enter the Sault Locks, so they could access Lake Huron. Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so bring your sweater. Don’t recall the beach, but do recall how cold the water is. Lake Superior is very cold all year long. Very nice park years ago, have not been there in many years, so not sure if it has changed much.
Young State Park – Very nice park, that has a variety of site choices, right on the water, close to the woods or in the middle some where. Located on Beautiful Lake Charlevoix that is connected to Lake Michigan. Plenty of nature and the park is maintained very well. Pond for shore fishing. Close to town, ride a bike,take your car or a boat to grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants.. Boyne City is a very nice town that has quite a bit to offer. Several Bald Eagles in the area too, you’d more than likely see them if you keep your eyes peeled.
Not A Favorite
Wilderness State Park -A park I never liked was this one, it’s a very nice park, but we always preferred the others I listed – Tip of the Mitten – Lake Michigan….Too Many Bugs that Bite. Certain times of the year you can’t go outside without a bug net over your face. The hatches are so thick and swarm around you, it’s hard to do anything if there is no wind.We left a couple times because of the bugs. Not all season, so be sure to check with Rangers to see when it’s best to avoid the hatches. Did love picking stones along the beach, hiking, sand dunes near by, the Mighty Mac and watching the big freighters. Smelt season use to be great, but hear it has dwindled off quite a bit.
Rustic Camping
Outhouses at most and no power, but cheaper than the others. Just pull in, find a site without a tag and make yourself at home. A ranger will stop by and you can settle up then or use a drop box if they still have the option.
Maple Bay – Near Brutus, Michigan on Burt Lake.
Whitings Park – Near Boyne City, Michigan on Lake Charlevoix
Other Camping Choices
Camp Petosega – Located on Pickerel Lake, which is part of that inland waterway, I have been mentioning. It’s the first or last lake depending on which way your going. The lake lives true to it’s name and has a very nice beach and picnicking area. The campground has 90 sites as well as cabins you can rent. Here is a link to their FaceBook Page.
My Frustrations -A Change Is Needed-
-Camping season is near an end now that Labor Day is nearly upon us here in Michigan. Some of the best times of my childhood was when I would go camping with my family. It was usually the only type of vacation my parents would be able to take. Quite often my dad would commute back and fourth to work during the week and my mom would stay with us kids, so we could enjoy the camping lifestyle, swimming and playing along the shores all day. Dad could still enjoy cooking out and camp fires at night. We would also be able to have a friend stay with us for a day or two, so they too could enjoy camping and all it had to offer. We use to camp on average 4-5 times a year and I couldn’t wait for Memorial day weekend to come so we could go camping. Something has changed and not for the better, our Michigan Campgrounds are going to die off.
This is camping that will get you hooked on camping.
I loved camping as a child, it was one of my favorite summer time activities and I have many fond memories of doing this. I wanted my children to have these same fond memories for their childhood, but it was not so much fun for mom and dad to have to pack up and move everything to another lot, just so someone could come in and pitch a quick tent for one night. This could have been done at one of the many still vacant lots that were available that night, but because they were able to reserve a specific site, we had to move our camper, tent and all we had unpacked for our stay. If you have ever gone camping with four children, you know what a task this can be.
The DNR’s, Michigan State Parks, have made a big mistake by catering to the tourists and neglecting the locals. Note the campers in the photo the DNR’s website has chosen to use, tent campers, not a luxury camper, yet these are who they are catering to. Perhaps the Parks will just one day become resorts for the wealthy to travel to and be able to remain in the luxury of their campers and motor homes.
There once was a time you could not reserve a specific camping site in Michigan State Parks, which gave the locals a chance to extend their stay if the weather was going to remain nice. We would often extend our stay for a few days, however, times have changed. Since the parks now allow you to reserve a specific camping site, this is often not an option, unless you wish to move to another site. About twelve years ago, my family and I were camping at a local state park and wanted to extend our stay. The park office told us we would have to move to another lot if we wanted to stay longer, because the lot we were on was reserved for that night. We agreed and took the day packing things up and moving them to a lot across the road from the one we had. That evening the people that reserved the lot came in at about 10 pm. They pulled a small tent out of the trunk of the car, quickly plopped it up and and retired for the evening. At around 9 am they had vacated the site and moved on. The site remained empty for the rest of our 3 day stay. I see this as a serious flaw with our state parks, it is actually hurting the revenue of the state parks in the long run. Locals will no longer extend their stay during the week and commute to work as they leave one behind to tend to the children who are enjoying the camping lifestyle.We ran into a similar problem the next year, only this time I decided to see just how long the lot we were on was going to be occupied by the reserving party. It was again for only one night, so they could move to a lakeside lot that was not available until the next day. They did not necessarily want the specific lot they had for that one night and the ranger at the park was kind enough to contact the reserving party and asked them if it would be okay to give them a different lot for that one night and they happily agreed to take a different lot, rather than have us pack and move. This process took me nearly 2 hours of negotiations with the park. There surly has to be a better way of reserving a camp site in Northern Michigan.
For locals, it has even become difficult to just get a site for four consecutive days at the local State Park. We quit camping all together, because it was so difficult to get a site we could remain in for any period of time. Michigan State Parks took all the fun out of camping for us. My children do not have the desire to go camping as I did, now that they have grown. These children are a big part of the future campers of Michigan and the parks have lost them, because they did not think through this site specific reservation system as well as their fees. My children are now living down state and would have become our State Parks future campers, but because we quit camping, they have little desire to do so as adults.
Wake Up Michigan, Save Camping at Our Parks
How kids of today camp.
Michigan State parks are seeing a decline in revenue since 1990. I could not find out when Michigan began allowing site specific reservations. I’m guessing it was pretty close to around this time. When I began camping as a child, very few campers had AC, microwave ovens, televisions and all the other bells and whistles that camper’s seem to desire today. We first started out camping in a tent and used very little electricity. The lots were usually somewhat grassy and great for kids to play outside on the site. We also paid the same amount for a site as the ones with the fancy camper hooked up to electricity. We soon purchased our first camper and it was followed by larger ones every two years or so. The rates have changed slightly, but not nearly enough to compensate the parks for all the changes that had to be made to accommodate the power consuming luxury campers of today. Many if not all had to run new wiring to be able to handle the new power loads all these luxury campers were demanding. Many Parks put in level paved areas to park the motor homes on, making it easier to just back in and be level. 
Personally, if you can afford a $100,000.00 camper or motor home, you can afford to pay your fair share of a park’s fee to use the camp ground. Not to mention, no more peace and quite at your local campground, with so many air conditioners running all night. By not making adjustments to fees accordingly, the parks have actually harmed their revenue. The people camping in tents, which are the the most valuable people in the camping industry are dwindling. Over the long haul they are the future of State Parks. These people are declining, because of the rates and rules of our State Parks. They are just getting their feet wet and if the parks want them to dive in, they need to adjust their fees as well as their site policies. By not seeing these people as the future of the State Parks, they are cutting off their noses in spite of their face. A family that camps in a tent for say $20 a night will often quite quickly move up to a camper in less than two years and more than willing to pay $30 a night. Their children will become future camp goers. If your a person camping in a tent, paying nearly the same amount as that 100k motor home with the AC running all night. It is very likely you will quickly be turned off to the whole experience. Making it affordable to camp with the noise of an AC next door is tolerable. It’s an affordable vacation and knowing you can one day be in a camper that will shut out much of this noise, makes this inconvenience more tolerable. This is eliminating growth in both our parks as well as the camping industry. Parks can not cater to the tourists that travel, they must recognize that the locals will one day produce the future tourists of tomorrow. The locals are the ones who can fill the empty sites during the week days which will be of far greater value than those who will camp once a year at the park. Wake Up Michigan, change the structure of how our parks are run and put some fun back into camping again!
I would really like to hear your views on this, please comment below and let us know how you feel.