[suydam]

Originally Posted by Crustedfilth

not too mention the place is wall to wall citidiots wtih big ass RV's which they cannot back up to save their life.

You trade problems.

I agree, state parks are busier and full of poorly-driven RVs.

The problem I've had with State Forest/National Forest campgrounds is actually the drunks. You get groups of people partying (hard) until 3 or 4am and keeping everyone else in the campground up all night. Compare that to a state park with published "quiet hours" and I'll take the state park thank-you-very-much.

I've had that problem with the pay-the-pipe rustic state forest campgrounds multiple times too, so it's not just sour-grapes over a single experience.

Your best bet is national forest walk-in camping. You can hike into the "Jack Pine" campground at Ludington State Park, or the "White Pine" campground at Sleeping Bear Dunes. That's really roughing it though... you have a 1ish mile hike from your car, so you have to bring everything with you in a single trip. Great for backpackers, not so great for toting a cooler.

Overall, Michigan's state parks are fantastic. I don't begrudge them the crowds... they're full because they're so great. The state forest campgrounds are typically beautiful, really rustic, lots of fun, but you really do run the risk of a bunch of drunks ruining your night.

Good luck! Michigan is beautiful and a great place to camp.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Crustedfilth

not too mention the place is wall to wall citidiots wtih big ass RV's which they cannot back up to save their life.

Hay now, don't knock them too much. Some of us paid for a car, motorcycle, gas and insurance plus date money all through High School parking the idiots RV's for them . Personally I wouldn't hand over the keys to a high dollar RV to a pimply faced 16 year old kid whose ink on their DL is barely dry yet, but am grateful for those who did. And for the guy (Russ Anderson in the SOO) who hired me to play video games and run the local kids out of the arcade in between parking vehicles for people who shouldn't have been driving them in the first place. Even backing big 5th wheels, you would be amazed how often somebody will pull into a campground with a 40'+ 5th wheel and not have the slightest clue how to back it up.

[4x4&more]

michigan camping sucks!!!!!!!!! if you want a community of campers and people all around you its great but if you are looking for complete isolation good luck!!!! in Arizona we could take a jeep trail for 40 miles and see no one for a week! you could fire off ak-47s all night if you wanted and no one would know. here your right next to a family who has kids and you feel bad if they hear you swear. If any one knows of camping like i dicribed in Az then i am all years but i sure as hell cant find any!!

[michmoldman]

Huh...I see tons of rustic campgrounds with very few people in them all over Michigan....ever heard of the U.P? They have hundreds of rustic campgrounds that are hardly ever even 1/4 filled. And you dont have to camp in a campground, you could go places where there is no one with miles and miles! You can camp along the Au-Sable river, where campsites are a mile apart....the choices are endless. Not sure what your talking about...Michigan is a campers paradise.

[jeeg]

Originally Posted by 4x4&more

michigan camping sucks!!!!!!!!! if you want a community of campers and people all around you its great but if you are looking for complete isolation good luck!!!! in Arizona we could take a jeep trail for 40 miles and see no one for a week! you could fire off ak-47s all night if you wanted and no one would know. here your right next to a family who has kids and you feel bad if they hear you swear. If any one knows of camping like i dicribed in Az then i am all years but i sure as hell cant find any!!

You are comparing two totally different creatures. Arizona has campgrounds where you're right next to someone else too. Michigan has this thing called the Upper Peninsula. You can disappear into some areas for months and not see anyone.
People shoot their weapons up here all the time. Big deal.
Even downstate, my Aunt and Uncle used to be members of an off road camp that was situated a half hour of two tracks driving into nowhere...... north of Higgins Lake. Spent many long weekends there in my youth and we never once saw anyone else out in that area (that wasn't a member). To remote.

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

Huh...I see tons of rustic campgrounds with very few people in them all over Michigan....ever heard of the U.P? They have hundreds of rustic campgrounds that are hardly ever even 1/4 filled. And you dont have to camp in a campground, you could go places where there is no one with miles and miles! You can camp along the Au-Sable river, where campsites are a mile apart....the choices are endless. Not sure what your talking about...Michigan is a campers paradise.

Obviously some trollage going on here.

Michigan ROCKS for camping at any level, from plush diesel pushers to solo backpacking with nothing but a compass to guide.

[alleyyooper]

Little Brevort lake has two state forest camp grounds one off Worth road from just north of Moran. The other off US 2 west of the Mac bridge. the fishing is not all that bad there in the early part of the year but by July the weeds are bad even for oars on a small boat. there is a hikeing trail from the north camp ground that takes you thru some dune areas. there is water from a pump for drinking and washing. Big Brevort National forest camp ground is near by where you can take a shower if you want. You can get to it from either Worth road or off US 2. Used to be some cabins on the big lake owned by Dowds that were rented out.

Farther across US2 west of Manistque there is Hiway FF13 Up that road is a state forest camp ground called the flowing well. It is on one of four Sturgeon Rivers in Michigan which is wade able and has good fishing. We have canoed the river but be aware of many log jams to cross some way. There is a country store near by on US2 called St. Jakes where you can buy from soup to bolts. Go south ON FF 13 and you will see a hiking area around a wet land called the marsh. There are lots of National forest in the area to roam about in. I will warn you that the area does have Iron ore in the ground so doies effect compass readdings some what. We carry two with us so we can cross check them. A GPH works fine most tikmes but under some of the huge hemlock groves the reception can be spotty.

Namha is a intresting place to visit. Lots of National forest lake front to roam near by. there is a camp ground there as well as the Nahma INN.
Nahma Inn
I am not sure if they serve meals any longer. didn't appear that way when I went thru there Dec. 15th.

This link will tell you more about the area.
http://hunts-upguide.com/nahma_peninsula.html

Al

[wagonman76]

Originally Posted by suydam

The problem I've had with State Forest/National Forest campgrounds is actually the drunks. You get groups of people partying (hard) until 3 or 4am and keeping everyone else in the campground up all night. Compare that to a state park with published "quiet hours" and I'll take the state park thank-you-very-much.

My experience is that I've had the problem with the drunks at the places WITH the published quiet hours. When I was younger we used to camp at Jellystone in Traverse City (Yogi Bear, supposed to be a nice place for kids) every year and every year there was a crowd of drunks next to us partying and hollering till 3am with a fire so big we thought it was nearly melting our tent. Sure there are rules but when the money is rolling in who's watching? Last year we were at Elkwood in Wolverine (a place with a playground and amenities and published quiet hours too) and it happened to be an acoustic music weekend, and the day after we got there, across from us was about 3 sites grouped together with drunks partying till around 4am. One of the partiers was their main music act. Sure there are rules but when one of the partiers is the one who brought half of your weekend business, who's watching? Our other times were decent there so I guess we try to plan when they don't have anything going on.

We used to go to Timbers Edge near Hesperia which is pretty desolate and out of the way and never had any problems. We loved it, only problem is it costs over $100 in gas to tow the camper there and back. We have been to a few state forest campgrounds and I've never had any problems and it seems almost nobody is ever there at most of them. I think the drunks want something easy. Why bother with something that's out of the way and has no power or running water?

I don't really care for state parks, I don't see anything that makes them worth the extra fees. The ones I know of don't even seem like a campground, they're more of an RV lot. No thanks.

[alleyyooper]

Where we ran in to the drunken party campers was long week ends south of the big Mac.
Years ago we had a slide in camper. Any time you went some where the site didn't have a camper or tent left in it. We have came back to find some one set up on our site despite the tag on the stake, a boat trailer parked there and a table cloth on the picnic table.

Even today after useing tents, slide in campers and 5th wheels we like the slide in best (in bear country) and the tent second best only because we camp in bear country a lot.

Still camping in May before most K thru 12 kids are out of school is one of the nicest times to go.


Little Bay de Noc NF Campground Rapid River Michigan Campground
Little Bay de Noc NF Campground

From Rapid River, go 2 mi east to CR 513. Then continue on for 6 mi south, Rapid River MI 49878,
$$, 38 sites, cfg, table, toilet, water, May 15-Oct 7



Al

[michmoldman]

we do a ton of camping RV style, and have never had much problems with the crazies. I would still prefer to camp where there is no one around because its not the drunken crazies we run into...and despise most, its the people with 5 kids and a baby (which cries all night). Sometimes we camp next to kids who think they can just walk right in your rv without even asking. I go camping to get away from it all...not to go someplace where its worse then at home..lol