State Park – Page 2 – Camp Michigan

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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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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State Park Modern Campground Opening Dates

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Spring is here and the modern campgrounds are opening for the season. Most of the parks open the first couple of week in April. You can see the Michigan DNR’s list of opening dates HERE I think the dates may change if it is going to be below freezing they may wait a little bit before opening the bathrooms so if you are going to the park opening weekend you might want to contact the park to be sure the bathroom buildings are open if it is important to you.

I am looking forward to this camping season we have reservations at 6 different parks and plan to visit several more.

P.S. if you are wondering the pic above is the beach at Twin Lakes State Park

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2019 MI State Parks Harvest Festival Schedule

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg

Fall seems like a long ways off but we are coming up on the 6 month window to make reservations. The list of state parks announcing their dates for Fall Harvest festivals is growing. You can see the list in the DNR website HERE

P.S. sorry I have not posted much lately, I am in the final stretch of getting my book published. I hope to have it available in mid-March

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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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Onaway State Park Review

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

Onaway State Park is situated along the shores of Black Lake north of Onaway Michigan. It is a heavily wooded park and if you like to fish and want a quiet park to stay at I think you will enjoy Onaway S.P.

158 acres

85 campsites

Official Website http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=479&type=SPRK

Address
3622 N. M-211
Onaway MI, 49765

Pros

Wooded Sites with Shade
Boat Launch
Newer Shower Building
Waterfront Campsites

Cons

Small Beach
Shared Power Posts
Small park
Small Sites that can be difficult for large trailers

Campground

The campground at Onaway is an older campground with gravel roads throughout the park. The sites are nice and shaded but also have a lot of trees on them so it can be challenging if you have a larger trailer to get it to fit. The campground is also hilly and not level so be sure to bring some leveling boards if you have a trailer or motorhome. The multiple campsites share electrical posts and if you are between posts you will need a long power cord to reach the post. I would recommend at least a 100 feet of cord. Sites 1 through 24 are down near the lake and sites 1 through 14 are on the water. The shoreline along the sites are rocky so you won’t be able to pull a boat up to your campsite but you could probably launch a kayak or rowboat. The one drawback of being near the water is the park only has a vault toilet for the sites near the lake. The sites are also kinda small and you will have to “parallel” park your trailer to get it on the lot. Most of the sites in the campground are small and when checking the box for a 30’ trailer it cuts down your options to only about 35 sites that will fit a trailer 30 feet or longer so be sure to check your trailer size when making a reservation.

Waterfront campsite on Black Lake

Reservations

Onaway state park is not as popular as some of the nearby parks so it is somewhat easy to get a reservation. For holiday weekends be sure to book 6 months to the day if not at least 3 months in advance. For the rest of the weekends, you can usually get a site a few weeks in advance or not the day before. This is a great campground for a last minute trip. The big issue is trailer size. If you want to stay here and you have a large trailer the sites are limited and you want to reserve the large sites as soon as you can.

Bathrooms

The bathroom building is an older building but it is in good shape and maintained. There is only one modern building in the campground, when it is closed for cleaning vault toilets are available across the street from the building so be sure to look at the posted cleaning times. A new building is next to the bathrooms and houses the showers for the campground.

Shower Building

Beach and Boating

The beach at the campground is rather small but it is a nice little sandy beach. If the beach is crowded and you want to lay out in the sun there is a nice grassy area next to the beach. The beach at the day use area looks as if it is not used much since it is covered in rocks, driftwood, and woodchips. Onaway S.P. does have a nice boat ramp and being on Black Lake I would think the park is popular with fishermen or fisherwomen. I did not see a dog beach anywhere so I am not sure where you can take fido swimming.

Campground Beach

Day Use Beach

Shopping

The park does not have a store but, there is a large party store right outside the entrance to the park. If you need something that the party store does not have the town of Onaway is about 7 miles away. If you really need something at a big box store Cheboygan is about 34 miles away.

Party store at the entrance of the park

Things To Do

Besides enjoying Black Lake, Ocqueoc Falls is 13 miles away. If you like to hike or hunt there is lots of state land around Black Lake including Black Mountain Recreation Area with miles of hiking trails.

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Lakeport State Park Review

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

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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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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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

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Otsego Lake State Park Review

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg

Nestled on the shores of beautiful Otsego Lake near Gaylord is the Otsego Lake State Park. With a beautiful beach and close to I-75 this a very popular park. With the town of Gaylord only a few miles away and lots of golf courses in the area, you can find plenty of things to do and places to see.

Official Website http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=482&type=SPRK

Address
7136 Old 27 S.
Gaylord MI, 49735

Pros

Near Gaylord
Next to I-75
New Bathroom Building in South Loop
Beautiful beach and clear water

Cons

Popular park and can be difficult to get reservations
Beach can get crowded on hot summer days
Sites near the road and railroad tracks can be noisy

Campgrounds

The campground is divided into a north loop and a south loop. The south loop is more popular because it is closer to the lake and has one of the newest bathrooms in the state park system. The north loop is the larger of the two loops. It has its own little beach with a ramp that leads to it. Most sites in either loop are well used and dirt surface. Booth loops are wooded and shaded. There are some small hills in a few areas of the park so you want to make sure you get one that the DNR calls level. The sites on the east side of the park are closer to the water. I would not say they are right on the water like some of the sites at Young State Park but they are the most popular. Old 27 runs next to the east side of the park and you can hear some road noise so the sites on the west side are better too. There are also some railroad tracks that run between the road and the park. I think they are not used frequently but a train did go by during the daytime when I stayed there.

one thing to note about the campground is the location of the dump and water stations. They are located next to the booth at the entrance and can be tricky to get to after you check in. If you are like me, and fill up with water when you get there, be sure to squeeze over to the right as far as you can when you stop to check in so you can make the u-turn to get back to the water and then you have to do the same to get back to the park so you want to use the outside water station if you can.

Reservations

Otsego Lake 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

The recently constructed bathroom building in the south loop

The bathroom in the south loop is one of the nicest bathrooms in the state parks. It’s like the Taj Mahal of bathrooms. The state must have gotten a grant to build this new modern environmentally friendly green building. I would definitely try to get a site in the south loop because of the bathroom building. I stayed in the north so I did not use the showers and I read some reviews that they are low pressure and not as warm as people would like because of the green design. The bathroom buildings in the north loop are older buildings but adequate.

Beach and Boat Launch

The beach on Otsego Lake is nice and sandy with crystal clear water. It’s a little bit of a walk from even the closest campsite. There is a large parking lot for the beach and on hot weekends it fills up and the beach can get rather crowded. You can go down to the north loop and take the ramp to the beach. It may be a little less busy than the main beach. A boat launch is located a the south end of the parking lot for the beach. I don’t have a boat but from the number of trucks and trailers parked it must be a popular boat launch. The shoreline along the park is sandy and I have seen a lot of boats pulled up to the shoreline and tied up. I think people camping can leave there boat in the water if they chose to do so. that’s one of the reasons why the sites along the lake are so popular.

Shopping

The state park has a store next to the beach that sells firewood and basic necessities. Opposite the entrance, is a party store if you’re looking for some adult beverages. About 8 miles away in the north side of Gaylord is Meijers, Walmart and Family Fare that has a Starbucks and a Dairy Queen, I like to go there to get groceries then I can get a Peanut Buster Parfait. East of I-75 on Main Street near the courthouse is lots of downtown shopping and restaurants.

Things to Do

Otsego Lake State Park is not a large park in terms of area and does not offer much in the way of hiking trails. I don’t play golf so I am not sure what makes for a good golf course but I know there are a lot of golf courses in the area. Besides shopping in the gift shops in downtown Gaylord I like to go see the deer and elk at the Gaylord City Elk Park. there is a viewing area behind the Secretary Of State office on Grandview Blvd. Not far away from there next to Jay’s Sporting Goods is Cops and Doughnuts. My favorite is the peanut butter cream long johns.

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