• Home
  • About
  • Cart
  • Shop
Camp Michigan
  • Home
  • About
  • Cart
  • Shop

Monthly Archives: April 2018

Tawas Point State Park Review

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

Tawas Point State Park is one of the most popular parks in the Michigan State Park system and probably the most popular park in the east side of the state.  If you want to camp here in the summer you definitely need to make reservation six months to the day. The park sits at the tip of a point that sticks out into Lake Huron. Some refer to it as the “Cape Cod of Michigan”

Official Website http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=499&type=SPRK

Address
686 Tawas Beach Road
East Tawas MI, 48730

Pros

  • Near East Tawas
  • Beautiful Beaches
  • Nice Bathroom Buildings

Cons

  • Popular park and can be difficult to get reservations
  • Sites are small

Campgrounds

The campground has 193 campsites and there are only a few trees so the sites are mostly open and sunny. In my opinion, the sites seem to be smaller than in other state parks that I have camped in. Its a beautiful place to camp on a point out into Lake Huron away from a busy road just be aware that in the summer the park is popular and usually full even midweek so there will be a lot of people in the campground. The sites to the south are near the water along Tawas Bay and are the most popular sites in the park. There are some trees between the water and the campsite, so you probably won’t be able to look out over the water while sitting in your campsite. The campground is flat so no matter where you are at your site it is going to be relatively level. I don’t have a large trailer but if you do be prepared for the streets to be tight and it can be tricky to back into your site. Be sure you have a spotter or a couple of spotters to help with backing up.

Cabins and Yurts

The park has two mini-cabins and a yurt along the north side near the bathroom. And there are two camper cabins near the bay with a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a living room. The porch faces towards the bay and you can sit on it overlooking the water. I have never stayed in one but if you don’t have a camper and you want to stay in Tawas a cabin overlooking Tawas Bay for about $90 a night is a good deal.

Reservations

Tawas Point SP is one of the more popular parks and if you want to camp here you need to make reservations six months to the day. The lots closest to the lake are taken first so you have to be sure to try for those right when the system lets you reserve them at 8 am.

Bathrooms

One of two identical modern bathrooms in the campground

The campground has two identical modern bathrooms. They are newer bathrooms that seemed to be well maintained. They also have a dishwashing station for washing out pots and pans after cooking dinner and is really helpful if you are camping in a tent.

Beaches

There are two beaches in the state park. The main beach is over by the lighthouse along Lake Huron and has a large bathhouse.  The other beach is on Tawas Bay in the campground. Both are wonderful beaches but the size of the beach can vary depending on the level of the water in Lake Huron. A few years ago the water level was low and there was plenty of sand before you got to the waterline. Lately, the water levels are up so the beaches are smaller than usual but still worth going to. I know many people who say they are the nicest beaches on Lake Huron. If you go camping with mans best friend there is also a dog beach so you can take them swimming on hot summer days.

Shopping

The Park is about 5 miles from downtown East Tawas. Just to clarify there are two cities next to each other Tawas and East Tawas (which is north of Tawas, I did not come up with the names). East Tawas is where the main tourist shopping district is near the harbor.  I think it is one of the reasons why the park is so popular since there is a variety of shops and restaurants to visit. Tawas is a large enough town to have anything you would need, with a Walmart and hardware stores. If you need something it’s not a long drive to get it.

Things to Do

The best thing to do at Tawas Point S.P. is visiting the historic lighthouse. Even if you are not camping and you have never been to the lighthouse it’s worth the trip to the park just to see the lighthouse which is open on the weekends for tours. There are some hiking trails through the marshlands of the park which is popular for birders. In may there are a variety of bird species that migrate through the parks. if you are working on a big year or just enjoy watching birds, the park is a good place to visit.

Tawas and East Tawas have plenty of events to partake in while you are there. A list of events can be found HERE 

About 20 miles away is Lumbermans Monument and Iargo Springs along the Ausable River.

I hope you will subscribe to email updates since facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I  promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.[jetpack_subscription_form title=”” subscribe_text=” enter your email for updates on new posts” subscribe_button=”Sign Me Up”]

[fbcomments]

Posted in Central Lower Peninsula, reviews, State Park |

Visiting Belle Isle

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

One of the most popular things to do at the State Parks is relaxing on the beach and enjoying the sunshine. If you have lived in Michigan for a while you know that we don’t always have warm sunny days. If you have a recreation passport for the Michigan State Parks on your license plate you can visit Belle Isle which has some excellent free indoor attractions on the weekends.  

The Belle Isle Aquarium is the oldest aquarium in the country. It was designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn and with its decorative entrance and green tiled interior, the building itself is a fantastic place to see. Inside the aquarium has a large collection of fish and aquatic animals on display.  you can find out more about the Aquarium HERE 

Next to the Aquarium is the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory which was dedicated to Anna Scripps Whitcomb who donated her 600 plant orchid collection to the City of Detroit in 1955. The conservatory was originally built in 1904 and displays a variety of plants and flowers from Palm trees to orchids. you can find out more about eh Conservatory HERE

Along the Detroit River on the Island is the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. The museum features exhibits such as one of the largest collection of model ships in the world, and the bow anchor of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which went down in a storm in 1975. you can find out more about the museum HERE

Besides the indoor attractions, there are plenty of other things to see on Belle Isle like the James Scott Memorial Fountain and the Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse. I figure if you paid the $11 for the passport you might as well take advantage of it. Next time you are near Belle Isle on the weekends stop by and visit some of the attractions.  

Not far away from Belle Isle is the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center. I have not visited it yet but it looks like a lot of fun. you can find out more about the Adventure Center HERE

I hope you will subscribe to email updates since facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I  promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.[jetpack_subscription_form title=”” subscribe_text=” enter your email for updates on new posts” subscribe_button=”Sign Me Up”]

[fbcomments]

Posted in State Park |

Categories

  • Central Lower Peninsula
  • county and local campgrounds
  • Giveaway
  • History
  • Lighthouse
  • Lists
  • March Madness
  • News
  • Northern Lower Peninsula
  • People
  • Private Campground
  • reviews
  • State Park
  • Thumb
  • tips
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

© Camp Michigan