Champion, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula: Van Riper State Park

September 2024, 5 nights, weekdays, campsite 111

Sunset over Lake Michigamme in Van Riper State Park

Reservations and arrival

This was our first stay in this campground. We made an online reservation for campsite 111, which is a 30 amp site. We arrived after checkout time, and slightly before check-in time. We were able to check-in, fill our water tank at the sanitation station, and proceed to our site. We observed a couple of campers depart after we arrived, so apparently staff does not always enforce the check-in and checkout times, as others have stated. Possibly, the late departing folks had paid for an extra day... When we departed on our last morning before checkout time, we observed new campers arriving early and proceeding to their sites, as well.

View of Lake Michigamme from campsite 111 in Van Riper State Park

Campsite 111

This campsite is shady, it is a decent sized site, only slightly unlevel, and it is mostly private. Lake Michigamme was barely visible from the edge of the site and through our back camper window. 

Campsite 111 in Van Riper State Park

The trail behind this campsite goes down a hill to the boat ramp. The activity on the trail was mostly people walking their dogs, and one day it was active with young teens speedily riding their bikes down the hill. Fortunately, there were no serious accidents! We overheard conversation about one wipeout, but no crying or screaming, so apparently the spill was minor.

Above: Pesheke River flowing into Lake Michigamme under the railroad tracks
Below: Heading out on Lake Michigamme from the boat ramp in Van Riper State Park

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.

Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Recreation in Bond Falls and Sturgeon River Gorge

May 2023, 8 days 

Above: view from trail in Bond Falls West Campground--trailer and kayak on campsite 20
Below: trail sign next to Bond Falls Road

Bond Falls Flowage: hiking, falls, boating, fishing, swimming

There are a couple of easy hikes from Bond Falls West Campground. The hike from our campsite to the falls and back was less than 4 miles roundtrip. We walked past the boat ramp, Roselawn Creek, and along the snowmobile trails next to Bond Falls Road. A small portion of this walk was along the shoulder of Bond Falls Road. We turned back onto the trail beyond the signs shown in the photo above. When you get to the dam after passing campsites 24 and 25, there is no way out to the road (the falls are on the north side of the road) unless you walk across the stone spillway behind the Outpost.

The falls and river were raging when we were there! The video above is the river near the falls picnic area. This is just below the dam and up river from the falls.

Ontonagon River above Bond Falls May 2023

Free Michigan Camping in Upper Peninsula: St Ignace Casino, Bond Falls, Sturgeon River National Park

May 2023, 9 nights

Kewadin Casino campground in St. Ignace, 2 nights, weekend

We had initially planned to camp at Hog Island State Forest Campground. The weather turned very cold and rainy the two nights we were in this area, so we decided we wanted a camping location with power instead of a primitive site. This camping area next to the casino has power, a dump station, and picnic tables (after it opens May 15th). We were there before the 15th, so no amenities were available except the electric. There was also no charge for our stay! 😊 The cost used to be $10 a night, and now the website says it is $20. We were able get a few tasks completed during this stay: there is a decent laundromat in town with free wifi, and we grocery shopped at Cedarville Foods after visiting Les Cheneaux Distillers. The grocery store had a decent selection with good prices for this rural area. You can find more info about the market and distillery by clicking on the "Cedarville" label at the bottom of this post.

The casino campsites are along the perimeter of the lower parking lot (some might complain that this is parking lot camping). Since we had lousy weather with no opportunity to be outside, and there were only a couple of other campers during our stay, this was not a problem. The wifi signal from the casino is not strong enough to use from the camping area.

Eagle in Brevort Lake National Forest Campground

Hog Island State Forest and Brevet Lake National Forest (neither of these are free)

We checked out these campgrounds after our casino stay on the way to our next destination. Hog Island did not appeal to us, and we were glad we had decided to stay at the casino. The sites are small, not very level or private, and some of them were wet with standing water. We would have stayed in Brevort Lake NF, except it was not open for the season yet. We walked through the park, and observed many spacious sites on the lake. 

Bond Falls campsite from road

Bond Falls west campground in Haight Township, 4 nights, site 20, weekdays and weekend

This was one of my favorite campgrounds during our 6-week trip. It is a primitive campground with only vault toilets and trash receptacles. There is an old hand water pump in the campground, which looked like it has not been working for awhile. Park information does not say that fresh water is available. Sites are all first come, first serve.

Bond Falls campsite

Millersburg, Michigan: Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground, the Falls and Hiking

May 2023, weekdays, 3-nights

Ocqueoc River

We drove through this state forest campground when we visited Ocqueoc Falls in June 2017 from P. H. Hoeft State Park. This time, we stayed in the state forest campground across the street from the falls. We had planned to arrive a few days earlier than we did; however, shortly beforehand, we discovered this campground does not open until May 1st. We arrived May 1st, and were the only campers all three nights of our stay.

View from campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground

Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground is a primitive campground with vault toilets and a hand pump for fresh water. The water we pumped out was brown, and we did not use it. I am not sure if it is always like that, or if this was because we were apparently the first ones using the pump since the previous fall.

View from campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: from back camper window

Campsites

We stayed on campsite 3, which is an amazing site. Campsites 1 and 2 are also on the river; the view is just not as open as on site 3. Campsite 3 is the most open riverfront campsite. It is a bit tricky to back into, as the road in front of it has a slight incline.

Above: View in front of campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: Another view from campsite 3

Paradise, Michigan: Tahquamenon Falls State Park & Brewery

 May - June 2021, Weekdays, 2-nights, Campsite 66

The last time we stayed in this campground was in May 2015 on site 11. That site overlooks the river, and you can find more information and photos by following this link to my previous blog post.

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Reservations and arrival

When we stayed here in May 2015, there were a few small piles of unmelted snow, so this time, I chose a sunny site. Also, the view of the river from the sites along the bank is not fabulous. You pretty much have to walk to the back of the sites and look down to see the river. My husband did miss that part a little bit though!

Tahquamenon Falls Campsite 66

We arrived just after checkout time, and fortunately, the staff member I spoke with let us check in early. I did not initially think she was going to until I told her we would park in the picnic area (it is spacious enough for trailers), if the site was still occupied. We thought this would be easier than returning to check-in later.

Tahquamenon Falls Campsite 66

Campsite 66 - lower falls portage area

We loved this campsite! It is spacious, grassy, sunny, level, and somewhat private. There are no trees between sites 66 and 68, and site 68 was empty during our stay. 

Tahquamenon Falls Campsite 66

There was a tent on site 65, which was behind our trailer and truck. We enjoyed privacy our entire stay.

Kayaking near island on Tahquamenon River

Recreation: hiking, kayaking

We launched our kayaks in the picnic area and took them out to the island the day we arrived. There is a kayak launch ramp at the left/southeast end of the picnic area.

Lower Tahquamenon Falls from island

Iron Mountain, Michigan: Rivers Bend RV Park and Campground

 October 2020, 2- nights, weekdays

Reservations and arrival

This campground is similar to the one where we stayed in Lake Linden, in that it does not have a website or reservation system, and you can only make payment by cash or check. The caretaker was helpful choosing a site for us when we arrived, although we later wished we had asked him if we could have walked around to choose a site. I had made a reservation for a full hookup site, as this is always easier than stopping at the dump station when leaving. When we walked through the campground that evening, we noticed that some of the power and water sites (without sewer hookup) were more private or had partial views of the river.

View from campsite 115 at Rivers Bend RV Park and Campground
The fire pit is on site 115

Lake Linden, Michigan: Village Campground on Torch Lake in the Upper Peninsula

October 2020, 3 nights, weekend-weekday, campsite 27

View from campsite 26 at Lake Linden Village Campground the first night

Reservations and arrival

I do not recall how I found this campground. I viewed the village page online, looked at the campground on google maps, and then called to make my reservation. There is not an online reservation system, and payment can only be made by cash or check. The rate was $25 a night for water and electric hook up. Our reservation and check-in experience was excellent. Initially, we had planned to stay for only two nights on weekdays, and then our travel plans changed, and we needed to change our dates to Friday - Monday for three nights instead. Campground host Shirley gladly accommodated our needs.

Campsite 27 at Lake Linden Village Campground Sunday night

Campsite 27

Friends of ours decided to stay at this campground for the first two nights of our stay, so we parked facing each other. After they left on Sunday, we turned our camper around, so we were no longer facing campsite 26. The campground host did not have a problem with us doing this.

Another view from campsite 27 at Lake Linden Village Campground

Ocqueoc and Rogers City, Michigan: Ocqueoc Falls and underground river, 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, Huron-Sunrise Trail and downtown

June 2017

We visited the following sights from P. H. Hoeft State Park. You can find more information about the state park in my previous blog post. 

Ocqueoc Falls

Ocqueoc Falls and Little Ocqueoc [underground] River

It is just over 15 miles from P. H. Hoeft State Park to the falls. There is a state forest campground at the falls; however, we wanted to stay on Lake Huron and near the bicycle trail. Also, the road into the state forest campground is kind of narrow with low hanging branches - not the best situation, if you have a larger camper or 5th wheel.

Ocqueoc Falls

Cumberland Falls, Kentucky

September 2016, Weekday, Afternoon visit

View from road shortly before we arrived at Cumberland Falls

On this trip, we stayed at Mammoth Cave National Park, Dale Hollow State Resort Park, and Natural Bridge State Resort Park. We stopped at Cumberland Falls between Dale Hollow and Natural Bridge.

Cumberland Falls Campgrounds

When we starting planning our Kentucky vacation, we initially thought we would stay a couple of nights at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. When I began to make reservations for the trip, I discovered there are no large RV sites in the campgrounds. There is only one 30' site in the Ridgeline campground, RV site #33. The size dimensions for this site are 30 x 15, and there were no pictures of the site online. I did not think our 30' 5th wheel, which is actually a bit longer, would fit, so I called the campground to make sure the information I had found online was correct. As I am writing this blog post, I see the reservation site now has the following language under Alerts and Important Information: No camping equipment or vehicle over 30 foot will [be] allowed in the Camping Area. 

Following are some RV campgrounds nearby:

- Falls Creek Cabins and Campground is the closest RV campground I could find. I do not know why this campground did not show when I searched online before our trip. We passed it when we left the falls, and I easily found the website when I searched after returning home. It is just over five miles east of the falls.

- Corbin/Laurel Lake KOA is about ½ hour northeast of the falls, near I-75. We were going to be arriving from the southwest, so we decided this was too far away to stay a couple of nights and drive back and forth.

- I found General Burnside Island Park after we had already made reservations at Dale Hollow State Park. This park is about ½ hour west of the falls. Since this park is located on the west side, more in line with our route than the KOA, we would have stayed at this park instead of Dale Hollow, if I had found it earlier. The drive from this park to Natural Bridge would have been less stressful than the route we took! By the time I happened upon this campground, it was less than 15 days before our stay, and we would have lost more than just the cancellation fee to change parks. 

Parking at Cumberland Falls

There is plenty of parking at the Visitor Center for large RVs. I was glad I had researched the park before our trip, and we knew where to pull in when we arrived. If you are arriving from the west, I suggest pulling into the first drive, directly on your left, after crossing the river. The entrance is located on a sharp turn in the road, and the speed limit is only 15 MPH on this corner. There was no sign designating this as the RV lot, and we hoped the information I had found before our trip was correct. It was, and the next entrance would have been more difficult to pull into from the west. The turn is even sharper at the second/main entrance from the west, and you will have to drive back to the first lot next to the river, if you have a trailer or RV.

View from RV lot above the falls

Paradise, Michigan / Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Campground, and Brewery

May 2015, Weekend-Weekday, 3-nights, Lower Falls - Portage Lot #11

I have shared a few photos in this post, and there are many more photos of the trails and the falls in the Tahquamenon Falls album on my Facebook page.

Arrival and check-in

The online reservation system for Tahquamenon Falls State Park says that the lower falls portage campground is open year round; however, a post on their Facebook page said that the road to the lower falls had just opened a week before our stay. Initially, we were the only ones with a reservation the dates of our stay, and two more campsites had been reserved before we left on our trip.

upper falls

There was not anyone working at the entrance to the lower falls campground when we arrived. Our name and lot number were posted on the board for arriving campers, so we drove to our lot. There was an orange cone on the lot to designate that it was reserved. We moved the cone, and before we finished parking, a ranger drove by and stopped to greet us. She confirmed that we were the ones who had reserved the site, and she asked if we had any questions. She provided some information about the trails and such in the area, although she did not have any park or trail maps with her. She then departed to get our check-in materials. We were not on our site when the ranger returned, and when we got back later, we found that she had left our registration materials for us with a note.