Manistique, Michigan: Manistique Lakeshore Campground

 May 2021, Weekend - holiday, 3-nights

Manistique Lakeshore Campground looking inland from site 49

We had initially planned to stay in this campground May 2020, and our trip was canceled due to COVID-19 when many things were shut down. By the time we decided to replan our trip for 2021, our first choice campsite (#41) was not available, so we made an online reservation for site 49. The price had increased $5 a night since the year before. Another sad point for us was that a nearby business we had planned to visit in 2020 had closed after the pandemic hit: Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery.

Arrival

We arrived a bit before check-in time, and our site and paperwork were both ready. This was the most efficient check-in we have experienced so far this year.

Campsite 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

Campsite 49

This campsite has full hookup with 50 amp power. It is the end/last water site. We had chosen site 41 the year before, because the online photos show that site 41 has a better view of Lake Michigan with better beach and water access. The online photos on the reservation site are great; however, they are a few years old, and the view behind every site is more open than shown. After arriving, we decided we like site 49 better than 41! 😊

Campsite 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

I cannot fit all of the photos that I took in this post. You can see more in the Manistique Lakeshore Campground photo album on Facebook. 

Campsite 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

All of the campsites along the water offer some privacy with trees in between. Site 49 has more side privacy than most, although this site is also visible from the entrance and campground office. This did not present any problems, since it was mostly quiet in the campground during our stay.

View from inside camper on site 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

The camp pad is concrete, and the area between the pad and fire pit is crushed gravel. The picnic table is huge and weighs a TON! We had a difficult time moving it.

View through door on site 49 at
Manistique Lakeshore Campground

This would be an amazing site, if you have an RV with a large back window. We still had a decent view through our small windows from inside.

Campsite 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

You can get to the water from this site, if you want to climb over the rocks. There are rocks behind all of the [more open] water sites now. I assume the rocks were put in to help prevent more damage from the high water levels and waves. My husband carried his kayak over and went for a short paddle over to the channel. We observed a few people swimming behind the sites, and kids fishing by the boardwalk.

View of damaged boardwalk from site 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

Playground, picnic area, boardwalk

The playground is located at the east end of the campground, not too far from site 49. There are many trees in between, and we never heard any noise from that area. The picnic area and boardwalk are beyond the playground, still within walking distance. There is a covered pavilion in the picnic area. If you do not like to walk, and are staying on one of the sites at the west end of the campground, you may prefer to drive to the picnic area. 

View of damaged boardwalk from picnic area

Sadly, the beautiful boardwalk that had been put in from the picnic area out to the channel entrance was still damaged when we visited. We were told this got damaged during a storm in March 2020 when the water level was a foot higher than usual.

View of campground from picnic area
Broken boardwalk debris in water on left

Laundry, bathhouse, sanitation station

A laundry area is on the west end of the bathhouse, which is located in the center of the campground. It contains two washers, two dryers, and a change machine. I used the machines for one load of laundry. The sanitation station is located near site 50. We observed a couple of campers using it. They may have been local residents, as there are only six sites that are not full hookup.

Misc. and overall

Wifi is included, and we had good reception on our campsite. This is a nice quiet park, and most people kept to themselves. The only noise problem we had was from the people on site 48. The rules say "no generators," and maybe they should also include other excessive and/or unnecessary noise. One day, our neighbor started his diesel RV, and then went down to chat with another neighbor for over 20 minutes! Even with the trees between us, this noise was obnoxious. He finally drove off, and then, when he returned, he sat inside with the motor running for almost 15 minutes. This probably would have been longer, if my husband had not walked out by the road and looked at him. I certainly do not understand why someone would leave their engine running like that for so long. (Our truck is diesel, so it is not like we are not used to this type of engine.)

View toward channel from campsite 49 at Manistique Lakeshore Campground

Overall, this was a great visit. This campground is in a good location, the water sites have fabulous views, the pads are all level concrete, the internet works good, and the property is well maintained. It is a bit costly, however, so I am not sure we would choose it next time we pass through this area.

I will have another post soon with info about places we visited in the area. Let me know if you have any questions!