April 2019 – Camp Michigan

The Tower at Burt Lake State Park

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Burt Lake State Park was started in 1921 with the donation of 83 acres of land by Cheboygan County along the Burt Lake shoreline to the recently formed Michigan State Parks Commission. It was one of the first 25 parks the commission created. Shortly after the donation by the county an additional 40 acres was deeded to the State of Michigan which increased the park to 123 acres. From 1931-1939, through land exchange and transfers, additional acreage was acquired bring Burt Lake State Park to its present size of 406 acres.

The park also had a tall observation tower. I could find little information about it. I did see a postcard the referenced a telescope was at the top for visitors to look through. The postcards I found were dated back in the 1930s so it must have been constructed close to that time. I am not sure when or why the tower was taken down. I was told years ago by someone that it stood on the ridge near the corner of Old US-27 and M-68 where another shorter platform stood. I think that one is gone now also. It’s been a few years since I visited it. I am wondering with the tourists visiting the tower if that is what influenced the the Cross In The Woods Shrine.

If you want to read my full review of Burt Lake State Park check out the State Park Handbook HERE

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Grand Haven State Park Review

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Grand Haven state park is one of the most unique campgrounds in Michigan. It’s basically a parking lot on the beach with lines painted on the asphalt. It’s kind of a love it or hate it park, If you love being on the beach and in Grand Haven you will love it. But if you prefer some trees and a more traditional campground you may not like it.

Pros

Right on the beach
Near downtown Grand Haven
New Bathrooms

Cons

Asphalt parking lot style sites
Sites are extremely small
No fire pits
No Alcohol
Extremely busy in the summer especially weekends

Campground

There must be a lot of people who love the beach in Grand Haven since this park is always full even though it’s not much more than a parking lot. I hope this review does not come across as negative, but I want to be honest. The sites are extremely small, no I mean really small. If you have a travel trailer that has a slide on both sides you will be the width of your site and the length of your site. If you are lucky you can open your awning without hitting the trailer next to you. Your truck will have to be parked in the lot next to the rangers shack at the entrance. If you have a small 20 foot or less trailer you could probably park your vehicle in your lot. Avoid getting a lot near a walkway to the park or bathroom or the beach because you will have people constantly walking through your site. The sites along the beach are the most popular. The park does not provide fire rings for the sites. I see most people bring their own, I would think a portable propane one would be ideal so you don’t have to deal with the ashes when packing up. If you like being on the beach and don’t mind the enormous crowds at the Grand Haven beach then you should give it a try. The campground is laid out in loops with sand on the outside of each lot even on the inner loop. If you pitch a tent you can put it up in the sand. I have never slept in a tent on the sand but it must be kind of soft. Like sleeping on the beach.

Note that Holland State Park beach campground is similar, but the sites are about twice as large. So if you have camped there expect smaller sites at Grand Haven

Reservations

The park is extremely popular and you need to make your reservations six months to the day and if you can get a coveted spot along the beach consider yourself lucky and you should go out and by a lottery ticket.

Bathrooms

The park does have a new bathroom building and they are currently building another one which will be finished in the summer of 2018. One the other bathroom building is finished Grand Haven will probably have some of the nicest bathrooms in the Michigan State Park system.

Cell Service

Cell service is good since the park is right in town.

Beach and Boating

The beach is what Grand Haven State Park is All About at’s a huge Sandy beach on Lake Michigan just be aware that the day use parking lot is next to the campground and is flooded by beachgoers in the summer.

The park does not have a boat launch

Shopping

The park does not have a camp store. Downtown is about a mile away but it’s mostly gift shops, bars, and restaurants. Meijers is about 3 miles away. It may only be about 3 miles but in the summer traffic, it may take you 20 minutes to get there. If you want to go to downtown you can walk or take a bike down the path that takes you where it will be easier than driving since you won’t have to deal with the traffic and then find a place to park.

Things To Do

Besides the beach and downtown shopping there Grand Haven lighthouse is on the pier next to the park. You can check out the musical fountain near downtown and enjoy ice cream from any number of places along the path from the park to downtown. If you want a break from Grand Haven you can visit Holland. Lakeshore Drive is a nice road along Lake Michigan that will take you to Holland State Park.

For more reviews and photos be sure to check out the Unofficial State Park Handbook HERE

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Michigan State Parks for Lighthouse Lovers

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the United States. Of the approximately 125 lighthouses still standing in Michigan, a few of them are located in some of Michigan’s State Parks. Here is a list of parks you will want to visit to see the lighthouses that call these parks home.

Ludington State Park
Big Sable Point Lighthouse stands in the dunes along Lake Michigan. It is a few miles from the campground and parking lot but well worth the hike to visit it.

Belle Isle State Park

The only light tower constructed for navigation is the Livingstone Memorial Light that proudly stands on the east end of the Island.

Tawas Point State Park

The park is home to one of the most visited lighthouses in the state. While you are camping you can see the light shining at night.

Leelanau State Park

The Grand Travers Lighthouse stands at the lip of the Leelanau Peninsula and is a popular destination for tourist visiting the peninsula. They say the old lighthouse is haunted and tours on the weekends in October are a popular event.

Grand Haven State Park

The beach at the Grand Haven State Park is one of the most popular beaches in Michigan. The bight red Grand Haven Lighthouse stands on the pier separating the channel from the beach.

Fort Wilkins State Historic Park

The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is part of the state park. You can see it from a parking lot on the west side of M-41 that faces the harbor. The lighthouse is separated by private property and the road to the lighthouse is not open. Unfortunately the ferry service that took visitors to the lighthouse is no longer operating but hopefully, the state will be able to find a contractor to start the service again.

Sturgeon Point State Park

The small state park on Lake Huron near Harrisville is home to the lighthouse maintained by the Alcona Historical Society.

Holland State Park

The lighthouse is known as “Big Red” guides sailors into the channel next to the state park beach. You can not access the lighthouse from the state park but you can get a good view and photographs of it from the park.

William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor

One of the newest lighthouses in Michigan stands on the Detroit River at the state harbor near the DNR’s Outdoor Adventure Center.

McLain State Park

The state lists a lighthouse at McLain State Park in the Keweenaw near Hancock. It’s more of a beacon that stands on a breakwater than a lighthouse but I figured I better include it on the list.

Silver Lake State Park

The park is most noted for the sand dunes and ORV area but it does have a lighthouse. The Little Sable Point Lighthouse stands along Lake Michigan in the park and is open to visitors.

Colonial Michilimackinac Historic State Park

If you have ever driven across the Mackinac Bridge you have probably seen the Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse that stands on the shoreline in Mackinaw City. It is one of the most popular places to stop and take a pic of the bridge.

Cheboygan State Park

You probably won’t find a lighthouse listed at the state park probably because it is no longer standing. The foundation can be found off the hiking trails and is still worth visiting. From the shoreline where the old lighthouse once stood you can see the Poe Reef Lighthouse in Lake Huron.

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The Chapel in the Pines

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Hidden among the pine trees in the heart of Hartwick Pines State Park is little log chapel. It’s a peaceful little sanctuary away from the hustle a bustle of modern day life. It is the perfect place to sit down and reflect on the beauty of nature.

Inside the church on the altar is written Nature’s Prayer:

Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all that is nature,
We humbly come to you in the midst of nature’s splendor,
To thank you that as Americans we are free
To worship as we please, work as we please,
And move about as we please to enjoy all that is nature:
Its mountains, its hills, its valleys, its lakes,
Its streams, and the living things that dwell therein;
We pray unto you that someday the world may be at peace
And all men be free to enjoy nature’s abundance.
We ask you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
That we be guided to protect this priceless heritage
Which we, in America, are privileged to enjoy. Amen.

It is a short little hike through the woods ( I would guess about 200 yards) down a paved path from the parking lot for the museum. It is well worth a visit to the little chapel in the woods.

If you want a Camp Michigan Shirt they will only be available for a short time this spring. I have a lot of trips planned around Michigan this summer and it will be difficult for me to fulfill orders so I am taking a break from T-Shirt sales for the summer. Now is a good time to order, if you want one they can be ordered from my Lost In Michigan website HERE

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Camping Journal Giveaway

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Thank you to everyone who commented on what their favorite campground in Michigan is. Of all the comments Nancy Oleniczak Sturgul was chosen at random as the winner of the Camp Michigan Camping Journal. Please email me at mike@huronphoto.com with your address and I will send out your journal.

If you want to purchase a journal you can order them from my website HERE

A Tale Of Two Outhouses

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

I have often wondered why there is a both a Men’s and a Women’s outhouse at the rustic campgrounds. I have never been inside the women’s outhouse, but I can tell you from experience that the men’s is nothing special. It usually has an indescribable stench and bugs flying around it. I can only assume the women’s vault toilet is beautifully decorated and has a wonderful aroma. I wonder if they make some Happy Camper for outhouses. I am also not sure why many campgrounds describe them as “Vault Toilets” as if what is in them is highly valuable. Somewhere in Michigan is the nicest outhouse, I just have not found it yet.

P.S. I did find this historic one HERE

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Pantry Items

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

At the beginning of the camping season, I like to stock my trailer with non-perishable items and I leave them in the trailer all summer. At the end of the camping season, I clean out the trailer and pack up the pantry and use up what I have in my home kitchen over the winter. Here is a list if food type items I like to keep in my trailer that way I have them when we go camping. All I need to pack is cloths and refrigerated items.

Pancake mix

Maple Syrup

Jiffy Mix

Cereal

mayo

ketchup

mustard

relish

Drink mix packets

Hot cocoa

Coffee

Ramen noodles

sugar

Canned foods

Peanut butter

Jelly

Snacks, chips, pretzels, etc.

Cooking spray or oil

Soups

Oatmeal

Pasta

Spaghetti sauce

Salad Dressing

BBQ sauce

Rice

Taco Seasoning

Ranch Seasoning

Vinegar

Hot Sauce

Soy Sauce

What else do you like to keep in your pantry that I do not have on the list? feel free to comment below.

This list is also published in the Camp Michigan Camping Journal available HERE

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Silver Lake’s Dune Forest Village

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Dune Forest Village photo from Wikipedia

Mears resident and newspaper publisher Swift Lathers built a retreat for himself and his family in the dunes that is now part of Silver Lake State Park. Swift was born in Detroit in 1889. After earning a teaching degree from Michigan State Normal College ( Eastern Michigan University) and taking law classes at U of M he moved to the west side of the state where he taught in a one-room schoolhouse. He moved to Mears and became the postmaster and in 1914 he began publishing a newspaper called The Mears Newz.

The General Store at Dune Forest Village from Wikipedia.

In 1939 Lathers began a retreat from daily life by homesteading on the Lake Michigan dunes west of Mears. Access roads did not exist and he slowly began walking in lumber and built small buildings. He constructed a school, chapel, general store, a printing office, and some residential houses. Swift Lathers little community became known as Dune Forrest Village. Many people came to visit and stay in the little village, but over time it was used less and became abandoned. Vandals and time slowly destroyed the buildings. Swift Lathers died in 1970 and that same year park officials removed the remains of buildings, and the property became part of Silver Lake State Park. Nothing remains of the village but memories.

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Camp Michigan State Park Champion

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Over the past few weeks, thousands of votes were cast for several of Michigan’s most popular state parks. All of the state parks are a wonderful place to visit and we are fortunate to have these places open to the public. This year it was Tawas Point State Park that came out on top of the voting beating out Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Thank you to everyone who voted. It was a lot of fun and we will do it again next year.

You can see the results of all the polls HERE

I am looking forward to this camping season and maybe I will see you at one of the state parks this summer.

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2019 State Park Construction Projects

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

The Michigan DNR is continually working on improving the State Parks. Here is a list of construction projects for the 2019 camping season.

Baraga State Park

Beginning May 1, the north side of the campground will be closed for construction, reopening June 28. The south side closure will begin July 15 and continue through the end of the camping season. Construction is expected to be completed by Nov. 1.

Park improvements will include an upgrade to the electrical system, resulting in new 20/30 and 50-amp services, site renovations to include camper pads, more pull-through sites and the addition of 14 full-hookup sites offering 50-amp service, plus water and sewer.

Lakeport State Park

South Campground (sites 301-356, White Pine and Cedar cabins) will temporarily close for the replacement of the restroom building. The project will begin at the start of the 2019 season and is slated to re-open in mid-fall 2019.

F J McClain State Park

A new Bathroom building was completed but campground reconfiguration and construction are continuing because of massive erosion of the Lake Superior coastline.

Muskegon State Park

The Channel Campground is closed for the 2019 camping season for bathroom replacement.

Muskallonge Lake State Park

The campground (sections 1 and 3) at Muskallonge Lake State Park will temporarily close due to electrical updates and site improvements. The two sections are slated to re-open in mid-July 2019.

Hoeft State Park

The modern campground, modern lodge and sanitation station at P.H. Hoeft State Park is being updated Some sites will be open for Memorial weekend. The remainder of the campsites will open June 14, 2019.

Wilderness State Park

The renovated West Lakeshore Campground opens this summer. The East Lakeshore Campground is slated for renovations in the summer of 2020

Let me know in the comments if I am missing anything.

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