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.

Fire pit (above) on campsite 78 from inside our camper on site 79 at Sleepy Hollow State Park
Side view below toward campsite 78 from inside our camper

I am sharing a couple more photos from inside our camper. Overall, this is a great site, and we would choose it again. It is a 20/30 amp site.

Island on Lake Ovid

Recreation: boating, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, fishing, disc golf

We took our inflatable dinghy out on the lake for the first time this year. During previous visits, we observed a few fishing boats on the lake, and the campground has kayaks and canoes for rent in the beach area. We put our boat in at the boat launch. The lake is quite shallow in many spots, and it seems like a kayak would be a better choice than a boat.

Crane on Lake Ovid in the bayou near the boat ramp

We stopped at the island, which had a new bench on the Northwest corner. The first time we hiked to the island, there was only one picnic table on the south end of the island. There is also a picnic table on the mainland, just before the bridge out to the island. While on the water, we observed cranes, small fish, and a muskrat.

Little Maple River where the trail crosses south of Lake Ovid and Price Road

We hiked around Lake Ovid from our campsite. This trip was about 8½ miles. We passed only a couple of hikers and people on mountain bikes, even though we were out for over 3 hours. The trail is mostly flat, except for the portion south of Price Road, which is hilly. Most of the trail is uneven with many roots, so I suggest good hiking shoes. The outside loop west of the lake did not have as many ground obstructions as the rest of the trail. There are not any benches or picnic tables on any portions of the trails in this park, except for the ones I already mentioned on and near the island. There are picnic tables in the boat ramp area, as well.

View of Lake Ovid from fishing pier

It is an easy walk out to the fishing pier near the south campground loop, although it looked like there was quite a bit of seaweed and other obstructions in the water for lures to get caught in. We did not observe anyone fishing in this area.

View from our boat on Lake Ovid
Cabin and dog beach north of the main beach 

This park has a large beach and picnic area with plenty of parking. Disc golf is located next to the beach. You can find more info from our previous visit by clicking on the link at the top of this post.

Sanitation station

There are two dump lanes in this campground. We did not have much of a wait when we left around 11AM on Sunday. It looked like many campers were not departing the day we did. 

Misc. and overall

This is one of our favorite state parks with many outdoor activities! Even though we have hiked all of the trails except for a few of the horse trails, we are never bored when we stay here. The north campground was updated last year, and several of the sites have concrete pads with grass. The south section was closed for renovations during this stay.

Let me know if you have any questions or info to add!