Vanderbilt, Michigan: Pigeon River State Forest Campground

October 2024, weekend - weekdays, 3 nights, campsite #1

View of campsite #1 in Pigeon River State Forest from hiking trail across river

We stayed in this campground April 2023, and you can find more information about the area in that post. I am sharing just a few photos in this post, as there was not much that was new this trip.

Campsite #1 in Pigeon River State Forest
Below: river behind campsite 1

Campsite 1

We again chose campsite 1, as it was the best river site available when we arrived on a Saturday. The campsite view to the river was a bit more overgrown that it had been in spring 2023. Other than that, and the rocks someone had piled up in the river, this campsite was pretty much the same as it had been then. 

Recreation: Discovery Center, hiking, kayaking, elk viewing

The Discovery Center next to park headquarters has a lot of great information inside. This is a short hike from the campground, and is also along the southern loop of ShingleMill Pathway. You can find hiking photos and a map in my previous post. The center had not been open last time we camped here. Fresh water is available at the ranger station, and we observed people filling their jugs when we passed by. A large portion of the trail on the west side of the river had been updated with new boardwalk since our last visit.

Above: Beaver Pond in Pigeon River State Forest
Below: pathway signage in Pigeon River State Forest

We hiked the pathway across from the ranger station this time to Witness Tree, Beaver Pond, and Fire Tower Overlook. Although we saw a buck while hiking, we thought the ShingleMill Pathway was a more enjoyable hike with more to see.

Pigeon River 

The ShingleMill Pathway hike from Pigeon River State Forest Campground to Pigeon Bridge Campground is about three miles. We figured it would be doable to drop our kayaks at the bridge campground, drive back to the river campground where we were staying, and then hike back to kayak back to our campsite. Unfortunately, we did not get to this after we spent our time hiking over 10 miles. Next trip!

Above: Lost Lake in Pigeon River State Forest
Below: Twin Lake in Pigeon River State Forest

The sinkhole lakes in Pigeon River State Forest are beautiful! We went to a couple of different elk viewing spots in the evenings, and were not lucky enough to see any elk.

Misc. and overall

Pickerel Lake In Pigeon River State Forest

We drove through nearby Pickerel Lake and Round Lake State Forest Campgrounds. Both of these campgrounds have a couple of nice sites on the lakes, although we thought the campsites in Pigeon River State Forest Campground were larger and more secluded.

Let me know if you have any questions!