Central Lower Peninsula – Camp Michigan

Sleepy Hollow State Park Review

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

Sleepy Hollow State Park is one of the state’s more recently created parks. About 20 miles Northeast of Lansing it was created when the state acquired about 2700 acres of land. Lake Ovid in the middle of the park was formed when the Little Maple River was dammed. The towns of Laingsburg, St. Johns and Ovid wanted the new park named after their town. One of the land owners was I. M. Crane and that is where the name Sleepy Hollow came from.

Official Website http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=495&type=SPRK

Address

7835 E. Price Road
Laingsburg MI, 48848-9438

Pros

Convenient location for people living in central Michigan
Secluded wooded sites.
Large beach

Cons

Beach a long ways from the campground
No stores nearby
Electrical boxes a long ways from the campsite

Campground

The campground is separated into a north and a south campground. Both campgrounds are similar other than the north is closer to the beach. The campgrounds are heavily wooded and many are separated by trees and vegetation. A few are connected if you want to camp with friends but you can not “circle the wagons” if you camp with a large group. Each site has a paved section for parking a trailer on the sites can be rather small being surrounded by trees. Be sure to look at the site dimensions when booking your reservations. The power posts are shared between sites and can be far from the campsite. Be sure to have at least a 100 foot of power cord.

The north campground is closer to the beach but it is still at least a ¼ mile from the campground. The south is even further at about a ½ mile hike to the beach. I would plan on driving to the beach.

Reservations

Sleepy Hollow is a popular park with people who live in central lower Michigan. Be sure to book reservations six months to the day for holiday weekends and the popular harvest festival in the fall. For weekends in the summer you can usually get reservations in late spring but I would recommend making them as soon as you can.

Bathroom

Both north and south campgrounds each have one bathroom centrally located among the sites. Both bathrooms are identical brick construction. I assume they were both built when the park was created in the 70s. They are not new but are still in good shape.

Cell Service

The park is in a rural section of the state and cell service is not good. I have AT&T and did not have any service. I have heard from other people who have service from Verizon and other providers and they did not have service either. If you can get your phone to work, awesome but I would not plan on it. Beside your camping and could use a break from it anyways.

Beach and Boating

The beach has a beautiful large sandy area on Lake Ovid that is surrounded by the park. A bathhouse picnic tables and a pavilion are also in the beach area. It’s a nice place to relax on a hot day.

A boat launch is available on the southwest part of the lake

Shopping

The park sells ice and firewood at the Rangers shack at the entrance to the campground. If you need to go to the store for something it’s a ways to get to Laingsburg or Ovid at about 10 miles away. Both are small towns but if you need to go to a big box store Owosso is 18 miles away.

Things To Do

Sleepy Hollow is an outdoor paradise with miles of hiking and mountain bike trails. A beautiful lake for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. The park also allows hunting in the fall. A disk golf course also winds its way through the park. There is plenty to do to keep any adventurous spirit occupied until the evening campfire.

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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.

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Bay City State Recreation Area Review

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

If you love to hike and go antiquing Bay City State Recreation Area is a park you should stay at. North of beautiful Bay City on the Saginaw Bay the park contains the Tobico Marsh with miles of trails for the outdoor enthusiasts. A few miles away, is downtown Bay City with its large antique shops and unique specialty stores.

Official Website http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=437&type=SPRK

Address 3582 State Park Dr.
Bay City MI, 48706-1356

Pros

Excelent place for hiking and birding
Not a long drive from Metro Detroit and other cities
Near downtown Bay City
Newer bathroom facilities
Playscape and splash park

Cons

Beach can be mucky at times or even closed
no campsites overlooking the bay
You have to cross the road to get to the beach
No boat launch in the park

Campsites

For the most part, the campground is flat and the sites are level. It’s also wooded and the sites are shaded except for the sites nearest the entrance which has fewer trees and can be full sun. The park laid out perpendicular from the beach that is across the road from the park. The sites closest to the entrance are closest to the beach. If you are in the back of the campground it’s a long walk to the beach. The sites in the back of the park are near the road and they can be a little noisy.

Reservations

Reservations at the campground are usually easy to get as it’s not one of the most popular parks in the system for camping. As always you should book as early as you can for holiday weekends. I did get a spot a few weeks before Labor Day. I checked and a few days before the holiday it was full. If you are going to camp in October be sure to book early since the park’s harvest festival is extremely popular.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms at the park are both newer bathroom buildings and identical so if you like to be near the bathroom either one would be good. They are what I call the typical design with the walkway with the row of showers on one side and the men’s and women’s bathrooms on the other. They seem to be well maintained.

Beach

The beach is a nice large beach on the Saginaw Bay. The staff does their best to maintain the beach but it’s kind of a hit or miss thing. Being near wetlands and marshes the water along the edge of the beach can get mucky. It rare but the big issue is that the beach has been closed a few days in the summer for high levels of E-coli. I would say if swimming is a high priority you may not like Bay City SRA. They do have a large playscape and sprinkler park. I am wondering if they built them because of the beach closures.

Shopping

If you need some groceries there are a couple of party stores a few miles south of the park. Walmart and home depot and just about anything else is about 7 miles south of the campground. If you don’t feel like cooking Muscle beach is right around the corner. I have not eaten there but several people tell me it’s good. They also serve ice cream if you’re looking for a cool treat to end a hot summer day. with some of the largest antique stores in Michigan, downtown Bay City is the perfect place to shop for the exotic one of a kind item. They also have lots of bars, restaurants and gift shops. You could easily spend an afternoon or a whole day wandering around all the stores.

Things To Do

The best part of Bay City R.A. is the Tobico Marsh north of the campground on the other side of the road. It has miles of trails through forests and wetlands that will make any nature lover happy. A map of the trails through the Toboco Marsh can be found HERE. I am not a birder but if you are going for a big year there must be a lot of bird species that can be spotted in the wetlands. A paved rail trail the runs behind the campground that goes for miles north through the Tobico Marsh. I rode my bike down it with the intention of reaching the end but after a long ride, I was getting tired and turned around before I could find the end if there is one. I am sure a devoted cyclist who is in better shape than me would enjoy riding their bicycle through the marsh. In August the park has a waterfowl festival and in October a Harvest Festival. The Bay City Recreation Area is also home to the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center with nature-based activities and programs for kids of all ages. you can find out what is happening at the 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 an email to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.

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