Caseville, Michigan: Caseville County Park

 September 2023, three nights, weekday-weekend, campsite #72

Sunset over Saginaw Bay in Caseville County Park

This was our first stay in this campground, and our first visit to the thumb area. We chose the county park instead of one of the state parks, because it is close to town (we wanted to visit Thumb Brewery), and I had read good things about the beach area.

Reservations, arrival, and check-in

It was pretty easy to make our reservation on the Huron County website. The off season rate for water and 50 amp power was $38 a night. There was no reservation fee. We arrived in the afternoon shortly before 3:00 PM, and were able to easily check in. Since we needed to empty our holding tanks, we had to do a little loop and then reenter the campground after we checked in. The sanitation station is next to the park exit. 

View from campsite 72 in Caseville County Park

Campsite 72

We chose this site because it is an end lot, and our front camper window would be facing the water. We had a great view when we arrived, and a partial view after the motorhome parked on the site across the street from us.

Campsite 72 in Caseville County Park

Campsite 72 is long and quite narrow. Our truck in the photo above is parked on the edge of the site. The fire pit is located behind the camper, closer to campsite 47. Even though the site is long, there is a large tree near the back, which prevents campers from backing in all the way. The park wifi came in at this site. My understanding is that this is located at the pavilion/picnic area, and does not come in throughout the park. When I checked in, the staff member told me that the person on campsite 47 chooses that site so she can use the internet.

Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Recreation in Porcupine Mountains State Park, and Black River Harbor Recreation Area

May 2023, 8 days of hiking, waterfalls, rivers

Union Mine Interpretive trail sign and Union River
gorge overlook in Porcupine Mountains

Hiking

We hiked over 32 miles in the Porcupine Mountains! One of the hikes I enjoyed most is underrated, in my opinion; Union Mine Interpretive Trail. This is an easy trail along the river with some beautiful views.

  

Union Spring and Union Spring Trail in Porcupine Mountains

We hiked Union Spring Trail in this same area, which was a wet hike in May! Union Spring is a smaller version of Kitch-iti-Kipi Spring, and is just as beautiful. 

Government Peak Trail

We tried to hike Government Peak Trail one of the first days after we had arrived, and the bridge was out before Trap Falls. The bridge had been repaired a few days later, and we hiked the trail as far as Union Spring Trail junction. 

Union Spring Trail and Government Peak Trail connection
River crossing below

To get to Union Spring Trail from Government Peak Trail, you need to go through the river, as there is no bridge.

Ontonagon, Michigan: Porcupine Mountains State Park Union Bay Campground

May 2023, 8-nights 

This was our first visit to Porcupine Mountains since 1989. We did not have a reservation when we arrived that year, and the state campgrounds were full. We ended up in a private campground near the entrance to Union Bay: Union River's Big Bear Campground (very nice, BTW). This time, we made a reservation online to arrive on the opening date for Union Bay Campground, May 15th. Even though we arrived opening day before check-in time, there were already about 5 to 7 campers in the campground.

Union Bay Campground in Porcupine Mountains
Below: photo of campsite 18 on DNR reservation site

Union Bay Campground reservation and arrival, campsite #18 and #12

We made an online reservation for a waterfront site that looked like it had the least amount of standing water in the website photos. The photos also showed a few trees around this site, and the description says the surface is grass. When we arrived, campsite 18 was not as pictured or described online. The surface is small stones/rock, rather than grass, and there is no growth between the campsite and the water (which would have helped with the wind). This site is so shallow, that I assume the stone ground cover was brought in after much of the site was washed away during the high water levels three years ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a good current photo of campsite 18, as there was a camper on it right away after we decided not to take it.

Campsite 12 in Porcupine Mountains Union Bay Campground
Above: view from screen shelter

Union Bay campsite 12 and more

Since the weather was cool, and we would not have been able to put up our screened shelter in the stones, we looked for a different site. We picked out a few empty sites, called on the yellow phone, and then ended up on site 12. We had shelter, a grassy site, calm conditions, and a great view during most of our stay. The sites across from #12 dip down quite a bit, so they were not the first waterfront sites chosen. All of the sites in front of us were empty during most of our 8 night stay.

Campsites in Porcupine Mountains Union Bay Campground

Garden, Michigan: Fayette Historic State Park

May 2023, weekdays, 4-nights, campsite #53

Sunset over bay behind campsite 53 in Fayette Historic Campground
Below: view from inside camper in Fayette Historic Campground site 53

We have previously camped in this park, and we have visited by boat. You can find info from previous visits by clicking on labels at the bottom of this post. This was our first visit since 2015. It is also the first time we made an advance reservation. We called to add an extra day to our trip after our casino stay. We considered stopping at another State Forest Campground after we had nixed Hog Island; however, we decided it would not be worth it to stop elsewhere for only one night. Also, the rate for Fayette was only $10 more than a primitive SF campground. 

Campsite 53 in Fayette Historic State Park Campground

Arrival and campsite 53

After we arrived, I wished we had not made a reservation. The campground was mostly empty, and site 53 is very unlevel. We spent quite a bit of time trying to park our camper in different positions to see if we could get it where we would not need three or more blocks under one side. In the end, we backed in the usual way with blocks under the passenger side. Campsite 53 is one of the more private sites; however, since there was only 1 or 2 other campers during our entire stay, seclusion did not matter at this time of year.

Truck is close to the edge of campsite 53 in Fayette State Park Campground

Onaway, Michigan: Onaway State Park

May 2023, weekday, one night, Onaway State Park campsite #15

Sunset from site 15 in Onaway State Park

This was our first visit to this campground. It was actually not where we had planned to stay; however, many campgrounds in Michigan do not open until the end of April or the end of May. We were actually surprised by how many campgrounds were not open yet at the end of April/beginning of May. This campground had opened April 22nd.

Advance reservations and arrival

We were only staying in this campground one night, so I figured we would just wait until we arrived to pick a site. My husband, however, wanted to pay the $9 reservation fee to make sure we got a nice site on the lake! 😁 So, we reserved the end lakefront site, #15. 

If you have never been to this campground before, the road down the hill into the lake area sites (1-24) is not visible until you get to the crest of the hill near campsite 25. There is a labeled campground photo near the bottom of this post. This is also the only road in the campground that is not a one-way road. It is not wide enough for two large campers to pass, so we were glad we arrived during off-season. The road is not real long, so you can mostly see if there is another camper arriving or departing.

 Campsite 15 in Onaway State Park

Campsite #15

This end campsite on Black Lake has 30AMP service. The cost was $22, not including the $9 reservation fee. The site is mostly level with partial shade. We did not have anyone on either side of us for our one-night stay.

 Beach area in front of campsite 15 in Onaway State Park
Bottom photo is through back trailer window

Cadillac, Michigan: State Park, Dining, Brewery

June 2022, 2 nights, weekdays

Views from campsite 36 in William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac
Tent above is on campsite 40

William Mitchell State Park, Campsite 36

We have stayed in this campground many times before, and you can find more park details in my previous posts by typing the park name in the search box, or clicking on one of the labels at the bottom of this post. We made our reservation last minute, and initially booked campsite 11, as there were not many sites left. When we arrived, we asked about open sites, drove through the park, and then changed to campsite 36. We had a decent view of the lake our first evening, as there was only one campsite taken between us and the lake. 

Campsites 38 (tent on left) and 36 in William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac

Atlanta, Michigan: Clear Lake

 June 2022,  3-nights, weekdays, campsite 164

View of Clear Lake from the trail behind campsite 164 in state campground

Reservations and arrival

This was our first visit to this campground, and we had a difficult time deciding between the lower and upper campground. We ended up choosing a site in the upper campground, and would definitely choose that area again. The lower campground is closer to the water and beach; however, we decided that area would be busier and less private. There was not too much activity during our stay mid-week, although reviews I have read online do indicate that there is more activity in the lower campground on weekends.

Arrival and check-in was super easy. The only thing out of the ordinary was that we were given a paper about ATV rules, as there are many ORV trails near this campground.

Clear Lake State Park campsite 164
Below: view of campsite 166 through side window

Campsites

We thought our campsite, 164 in the upper campground, was one of the best in the park. It is secluded on all sides, and it was easy to walk down the short path to the water where we tied up our inflatable boat. Initially, we had thought the lower campground sites would be closer to the water for this; however, they are actually not significantly closer.

Clear Lake State Park campsite 164
Above: trail to lake from campsite

There is a trail next to campsite 164, and behind it; however, there are plants between the trails and the campsite, so it is still partially secluded from walkers.

Battle Creek, Augusta, and Galesburg, Michigan: Fort Custer Recreation Area, Biking, Breweries

May 2022, Weekend-weekdays, 4-nights

Campsite 23 in Fort Custer Recreation Area

Fort Custer Recreation Area, Campsite 23

We arrived at this campground from Waterloo State Recreation Area without having dumped our tank or filled with fresh water, since the sanitation station in that park is not near the campground we stayed in. Upon arrival at this park, we learned there had been a construction issue a few days before our arrival, and there was no water at the sanitation station. We were able to dump our tank with no rinsing, and then had to drive a mile back out to the ranger station to fill our water tank. It would have been nice, if the state had sent an email providing this info to incoming campers before arrival! I mean, they do send us many confirmation and reminder emails before arrival. 😳 In talking with the staff member at the check-in booth, we learned that the campground host would be delivering fresh water to campers that needed it later that evening. I was glad I had learned about this, and then observed the host delivering the water, because he did not stop at our site. He stopped to give a case of water to campers across the road from us, who already had water from the days before, and then prepared to exit on his cart. I walked up to talk with him, and then we received a case of water, as well. Nice that our state park provided this; sad that the campground host was not doing his job.

Campsite 23 in Fort Custer Recreation Area
Fire pit on the right in the bottom photo is on site 21

Most of the campsites in this campground are quite nice with shade and privacy trees. We made our reservation last minute, and site 23 is just an okay site, in my opinion. It is secluded on the two backsides, and open to the road and campsite 21. It is level, and the ground covering is mostly dirt. Fortunately, campsite 21 was not in use during our entire stay. Two different campers stayed for only one night each during our four-night stay.

 Whitford Lake picnic area in Fort Custer Recreation Area

Chelsea, Michigan: Waterloo State Recreation Area, Green Lake Rustic Campground, Hiking, Biking, Discovery Center

May 2022, Green Lake primitive site GL6, 3 nights, weekdays

View of Green Lake from rustic campsite GL6 in Waterloo Recreation Area

This was our first visit to Waterloo park, which is the largest state park in Michigan's lower peninsula. We plan to visit again!

Info and registration instructions at Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area

Reservations

We had not initially planned to make a reservation, since our stay was during the week at the beginning of May. After we looked at the park more closely, however, we decided it would be easier to make a reservation, in order to drive directly to our site. It did not look like there was a way to check in at this primitive campground, and the staffed areas in this park would have been out of our way.

After we arrived, we observed a self-registration kiosk, similar to Michigan State Forest campgrounds. There were also "reserved" tags on some sties; however, this information was not accurate, nor was it checked by anyone. There was no reservation tag on our site when we arrived, even though we had made a reservation. There was a reservation tag on the site next to us when we arrived, and this site was not occupied until the last night of our stay (I also checked the website after we arrived, and there was no reservation for that site until the last evening). Many people came to this campground and stayed on sites for just a few hours: in lounge chairs, tree hammocks, and at picnic tables around a fire. Some of the sites people used had reserved tags on them, and some did not. We could not figure out any rhyme or reason to most of the activity in this campground. The clipboard list with reserved site numbers in the photo above was not present until the last night of our stay. We were glad or site was unoccupied when we arrived!

Above: campsite GL6 in Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area
Below: labels for campsites GL6, GL5, and GL3

Campsites in Green Lake Rustic Campground

Although campsite GL6 is unlevel and hilly, we thought this was one of the best campsites in this campground. The water view is excellent, and the site is quite large. There are no trees between this site and site GL5. GL5 is also a large site, so when the people arrived at that site on our last evening their camper were quite aways away from us.

Above: sunrise from inside our camper on campsite GL6 in
Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area
Below: another view of campsites GL5 and GL3

I also liked campsites GL3, GL14, and GL20, although my husband thinks GL6 is best. Site GL3 is more level than 5 and 6, although there are also mores trees between the campsite and the water. Campsite GL14 is somewhat private, although it is not level and not as large as GL6. I liked this site because it looked like there would be a fabulous sunset view over the water. Campsite GL20 is the most private site. This site would be great in cool weather because it is open and surrounded by trees. You cannot see the lake from this site.

Waterloo-Pickney hiking trail in Waterloo Recreation Area

Laingsburg, Michigan: Sleepy Hollow State Park

 September 2021, 3-nights, weekday-weekend

Sunset over Lake Ovid at Sleepy Hollow State Park

We visited this park a few times before this stay, although I can only find one other blog post with more info: October 2020. Although we enjoyed this visit, the autumn colors are definitely more beautiful in October than in September.

Arrival and check-in

There were three vehicles ahead of us in the check-in parking area when we arrived, so we expected check-in to take a few minutes. Apparently, everyone was just finishing up at the same time, or doing something else, because everyone was back in their vehicle by the time I walked up to the office from our vehicle at the end. Check-in was very quick, and we were on our way to our campsite.

Campsite 79 at Sleepy Hollow State Park

Campsite 79

We had not seen this campsite before making our reservation, and did not know if the single photo and description on the DNR reservation site was accurate. It was mostly accurate. A couple of minor differences were pluses: The back of the site is more overgrown between the site and the trail than shown in the website photo, which makes it more private. The dimensions are not provided on the DNR site (other than to say that it accommodates a 40' RV), and this site is quite spacious.

Campsite 79 at Sleepy Hollow State Park

Campsite 79 is grassy and secluded. There was a small opening between our fire pit and campsite 80, which is great if you are camping with others. There is a lot of growth between campsite 79 and 78, although the fire pit on site 78 was still visible from inside our camper. 

Campsite 79 at Sleepy Hollow State Park

We put up our screen tent because mosquitos were out around the perimeter of the site during the day.