Monthly Archives: May 2018

Lakeport State Park Review

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Lakeport State Park located on Lake Huron north of Port Huron is an ideal place to camp if you live in the south-east part of Michigan. Its a well-maintained park with newer bathrooms and you can enjoy a Michigan sunrise on the Lake Huron beach. With two campgrounds to chose from you can have a sunny grass coverd site or a shaded paved site. 

 

 

Official Website http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=466&type=SPRK

Address
7605 Lakeshore Road (M-25)
Lakeport MI, 48059

Pros

  • short drive for southeast Michigan residents
  • Nice grassy sites in North Campground
  • Paved camping sites in South Campground
  • newer bathrooms in North Campground

Cons

  • M-25 can have heavy traffic
  • Beach is a little rocky
  • limited nearby shopping
  • no boat lunch in the park

Campgrounds

The park has two campgrounds to choos from.

The north campground is closer to the water. It has about 200 nice grass covered sites which are rare, most state parks I have been in are dirt sites. There are few trees and the campsites will be sunny. There is a newer playground and horseshoe pits in the center of the campground.  I would imagine you would not want to have a site next to them since they would be noisy with children playing and the clanging of horseshoes.

The North Campground and the grass covered sites

Playground in the middle of the north campground

horseshoe pits in the middle of the north campground

The south campground near the Ranger booth has fewer campsites but a lot of trees so there will be plenty of shade for hot Michigan summer days. The campground has 50 campsites and all have paved camping pads. I was not able to tour this campground since it was closed when I was there. they were updating the electrical and I heard they are supposed to build a new bathroom building in the fall. I will have to take a trip back there and check it out. 

Reservations

The park is a popular destination for people who live on the southeast side of the state. Its a short drive for them on the weekends so if you want to stay here for a holiday weekend you will want to make your reservations six months to the day. during the rest of the summer, you will probably be ok getting reservations in the spring but its always best to make reservations as soon as you can.

Bathrooms

The north campground has newer bathrooms and both bathrooms are identical so it does not really matter which one you use. They are both your typical design with the men and womans bathroom on one side of a walkway and a row of showers on the other side of the walkway.

I was not able to see the bathrooms for the south campground since it was closed when I was there.

One of two identical bathrooms in the North Camground

 

Beach and boating

The park has a long Beach along Lake Huron. It’s not as nice as the beaches along the west side of the state since it’s rather rocky along the shoreline. It still would be nice for relaxing on a hot summer day. You will also be able to watch the freighters as they pass by although they will be a ways offshore.

There is no boat launch in the campground. There is a boat launch in the State Harbor in Lexington. With the rocky shorline, I would not recommend pulling a boat up to the beach. I don’t have a boat but I would assume this is not a popular campground for boaters because of its limitations.

Shopping

The park has a nice size camps store. I can’t comment on what the inside is like since it was closed when I was there. I imagine it is used by many campers since there are limited stores and shopping near the park. There is a small store and a few bar type restaurants in the town of Lakeport. If you are looking for a place to be a tourist Lexington is about 12 miles to the north. It has a nice downtown area with plenty of bars and gift shops to keep you busy for an afternoon. The town of Port Huron is about 11 miles to the south of the park and has anything you would need. Note that it is only 11 miles but it may take you some time to get there as traffic on M-25 can be really busy especially on the weekends. 

The park store in the north campground

Things to do

As mentioned before the campground has a nice playground and horseshoe pits. The park itself is not as large in area as some of the parks but there are some hiking trails. The Park also has a day use area that is about a mile south of the campground. The campgrounds and the day use area are separated by the town of Lakeport.

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Krystal Lake Campground Review

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Between Vassar and Mayville in the thumb is Krystal Lake Campground. It’s a privately owned campground. Its location makes it a great place to stay if you want to visit the popular tourist town of Frankenmuth The campground has full hookup. Water and electric sites and a few rustic sites for people who like to rough it in a tent. The campground was well maintained with nice mowed grass. The lake in the campground is a large horseshoe-shaped lake with plenty of lakeside campsites.

 

Website http://www.krystallakecampground.com/

Address
5475 Washburn Rd,
Vassar, MI 48768

The park has a nice beach with kayaks and rowboats for rent. If you forgot something the camp store has most necessities and the most important thing, ice cream. They also have a nice in-ground pool. It’s not a large Olympic size pool but it is a nice pool and I think it’s heated. I did not take a dip in it so I am not sure.  They also have a miniature golf course and playground to keep the kids entertained and burn off some energy.

The bathroom building was nice with a couple of showers. It was nothing fancy but it was just as good as any state park bathroom. I think it’s not used much since most people use the bathrooms in their trailer. Especially if they have full hookup

The location makes it ideal if you want to visit Frankenmuth which is about 8 miles away. If you need something from groceries to hardware Vassar is only a few miles away. I know most people think of farm fields when they think of the thumb. The park is surrounded by trees so you have that up north feel and it blocks the winds that blow across the fields.

If you are looking for a place to camp in the middle of Michigan’s Thumb. Check out Crystal Lake Campground. It’s a great option if you live in the Saginaw Valley area for someplace close by to camp.

P.S.  I stayed over Mothers Day weekend. I paid for my site and my opinions are my own.

 

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