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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