[rainbowlady]

I just moved back to Michigan, and want to take the kids up north this summer.

We'll be tent camping with a large family, so I want decent sized sites (if possible semi private), and it would be great to be close to the great lakes.

Does anyone have any recommendations? The only one I really remember (as a child), is Cheboygan state park, and Wilderness Park, so any recommendations would help!

Also, I would love to go somewhere uncrowded!

Sue

[Bydand]

How remote are you looking for? There are some unimproved sites right along Lake Superior between Muskellunge State park and Munising. No water, electricity, or anything else, but the location is beautiful down that stretch. If you are looking for a place with all that, I really like Wilderness SP. Not as crowded as a lot of the SP's, and nice location as well.

[michmoldman]

We are going to Muskellunge state park for 9 days in July. I have heard nothing but good things. It is between a nice fishing/swimming lake and lake Superior. I have heard Wilderness ST. Park is awesome as wel,l like Bydand said. There are also several near the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. I think the closer you get to the big lakes, the more crowded.
We have the big Michigan map book with all the campgrounds. We find what we like on there, and research them online. We also have a book of Michigans best campgrounds, and have chosen several from there.

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

I would have recommended Wilderness state park as i worked there....you can have a site right on the lake or just across the drive....there are maps online with site sizes....cheboygan state park is nice too both are less crowded than many.......

[YAZ]

You don't have to go north for that....try Murray Lake Campground at the Brighton State Recreation area. The only drawback is that it's only open on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

That keeps it pristine.

You can always move over to the Appleton Lake Campground Monday through Thursday. Not terrible, but not so private.

There's a really cool campground in Ossineke; south side of Thunder Bay on the Sunrise side of the state. Right off Old U.S. 23. Neat place on the beach of Lake Huron.

In the U.P., I like Monacle Lake Campground, which is just west of Brimley. It's not a "state" park, but part of the Hiawatha National Forest. Great fishing and decent sized campsites. You can hear the freighters honkin' their horns at night from Lake Superior....

A little farther west, about ten miles or so, is Soldier Lake Campground. That's a state park with big campsites and spread out.

Lots of fun.

[LeavinMI709]

Young State Sark in Boyne City is where we always took our kids camping. It is not to far from anywhere in the state and there is a ton of stuff to do. It is on Lake Charlevoix and if you have a boat and a nice day, you can spend the entire day having fun skying, tubbing or just crusing. Its nice because if it is a windy day, you can still enjoy the beach and the water without the waves getting to high. The beach is one of the best in Michigan in my opinion. Lake Michigan is just a 20 minute drive around the lake if you want to spend the day looking for petoski stones and taking in the "feel" of the big lakes. There are volly ball nets and bike paths. The grounds are pretty nice and the kids have lots to do around the camp site. Boyne City is a nice community that provides a little break from camping if its needed. Like if it is raining there is a movie theater, shops and resterants. These things can be great too.

[Michigansnowflake]

There is no movie theater in BC.....but yes, its a great little town.

I say stay at Wilderness....but if you dont already have reservations, you might not get in, it fills up fast.....go across the bridge and stay at St Ignace SP

[YAZ]

Originally Posted by Michigansnowflake

There is no movie theater in BC.....but yes, its a great little town.

I say stay at Wilderness....but if you dont already have reservations, you might not get in, it fills up fast.....go across the bridge and stay at St Ignace SP

I used to drive by the one in St. Ignace often. Always wondered if it was nice.....

[suydam]

I'll take a different tact here: If you're doing tent-camping I'm going to recommend the Walk-In camp at Platte River in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

This is NOT backpacking. By walk-in, they mean 50-400 feet of walking. The reason that's my favorite campground in the state (bar-none) for tent-with-car camping (as opposed to backpacking or RV camping) is that the sites are far apart from each other. In some instances you can be 100 feet from any other sites, separated by nothing but trees. Because the walk in is short, you're also never out of reach of your car, bathrooms, showers, etc.

You're close to tubing, canoeing, hiking, the beach (there is a 0.8 mile hike to a nearly-private beach) and a short drive to a slightly more popular beach at the mouth of the Platte River. You're also about 15 minutes from Empire and 25 minutes from Glen Arbor if you need to get out of the campground and into "town" for some rainy-day shopping.

Overall, that is my very favorite campground in the state for what we call "car camping" (since we were primarily backpackers before kids).

[michmoldman]

Another is along the Au-Sable river. This is not really a campground, but over 100 sites along a 55 mile stretch, so you will basically be alone in some of the most beautiful area in Michigan.

Campground Details - AUSABLE RIVER CAMPING (MI), Mi - ReserveAmerica - [NRSO]