Boyne City, Michigan: Young State Park, Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail, and Harvest Festival

September 2019, Weekend, 2-nights, Campsite 31

Above: sunset from campsite 31 at Young State Park while seated at fire.

Below: sunset from back of campsite 31 standing next to the water.

Young State Park reservations and campsites

There are three campgrounds in Young State Park, and it was difficult to choose a site beforehand, since this was our first visit. We decided to reserve campsite 31 in Oak campground, and after our arrival, we decided this is one of the better sites. After we had made the reservation, we wanted to arrive a day earlier; however, another camper was on this site the day before. Luckily, they had departed when we arrived.

Young State Park campsite 31.

Campsite 31 is on the lake, and there is a partial lake view from the back of the site (see top photo with fire pit). We would have had an even better view, if we had not backed in as far. We had hoped to park on an angle; however, there was not enough room to do this with our fifth wheel. There are a lot of trees on this campsite. You can see the white site line in front of the trees in the photo of our fifth wheel and truck (half the site is unusable because of the trees). Additionally, gravel had been brought in for this site, and placed only in the area straight into the site. There was standing water around the fire pit when it rained during our stay. 

Condition on campsite 31 at Young State Park after it rained.
Gravel brought in is visible to right of fire pit.

Open area next to campsite 31 at Young State Park.

There is a short foot path through the trees to the water directly behind campsite 31, and the area is open on the other side of the trees between this campsite and campsite 27. There is a bench in this area, which is not close to either campsite. No one used the area without the bench, so we took our chairs over to enjoy the afternoon sun one day.

Young State Park: campsite 21, 27, and 28.
Click on photo to enlarge.

Campsites 27 and 21 also look like decent sites in Oak campground. The fire pit on campsite 27 is at the back of the site (not a great location with our fifth wheel, but good for smaller campers), and the sunset view is not as good; however, the water view is more open. The water and sunset view from campsite 21 is great, although this site is across the street from the lake.

Trees next to fire pit on campsite 31 are pretty much on the lot line.

All of the waterfront campsites in Terrace campground were closed due to high water. I am sharing a few more photos of campsite 31 and others in this park.

Above: view of open area beside trees from inside our camper on site 31.
Below: Campsite 62 in Terrace campground across road from lake.

Young State park recreation and misc.

We hiked some of the trails inside the park, although there was standing water in a few areas from the rain this year. There was also standing water in one of the playgrounds, and there was not much room on the beach because of the high water.

Center beach (above) and picnic area (below) at Young State Park.

The picnic and beach area is located between Oak and Spruce campgrounds. There is a walkway to the picnic area from both campgrounds. There is also a fishing pond and park store in this area. The store must have been closed for the season during our stay, because it was not open either time that we walked by, even though it was during the posted business hours. There are additional walkways to the lake and beach from Spruce campground. The boat ramp is located in Terrace campground.

The sanitation station in the park has two dump drains, which is not enough for a campground with over 200 campsites, none of which are full hookup. The campground was not very full when we visited, and we left without draining our tanks because there were more than five campers in line. As we drove by, we noticed that only one side was being used! We thought about pulling in to use the other side, and wondered if it would start a fight with others waiting in line, if we did. Not only that, the next camper in line was pulled in behind the camper using the dump station, and blocking the exit from the other side. If he did not move before we finished, or if another camper pulled up after he pulled forward, we would have been blocked in and unable to exit after dumping. We opted to dump our tank at another location on the way home.

End of trail from Boyne City.

The Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail runs alongside Young State Park, and was only partially completed at the time of our stay. This portion is Phase 1, which starts at Boyne City. The only way to get to the trail from camp is via the roadway in and out of the campground. It was about one mile from our campsite to the trail in front of the park. Phase 2 is also completed north of Charlevoix where the trail connects to Little Traverse Wheelway. There are three sections between the two completed ones, and Phase 3 is expected to begin in 2021.

Downtown Boyne City.

We happened to be camping during the Boyne City Harvest Festival (unplanned), and went into town Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day with many booths and free music on the streets.  Part of S. Lake Street and Water Street were closed off for the event. Boyne City is a beautiful and walkable town. Beaches, parks, Boyne River, and beautiful flowers and gardens! In addition to the festival events, we observed Halloween and fall displays, and an old fire engine easily visible in a glassed room in the Boyne City Fire Department.

Standing at water's edge in Young State Park.

I am sharing a couple of photos to show how high the water was during our visit. The first one shows my toes standing at the water's edge, and the second one shows how far on shore Google maps thought I was standing! The white area on the map is land, too.

Google maps showing my position.

Let me know if you have any questions!