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.

Clear Lake State Park campsite 172 and ?

I am including a few photos of our campsite, 164, and a couple of others. Unfortunately, too much time has passed since our stay, and I am not 100% certain whether the photo above is sites 170 and 172 or sites 172 and 174. The photos on the reservation site are from 2015, so my photos are more accurate--if only I knew for sure exactly which sites they are! 😳

Clear Lake in Atlanta, Michigan

Recreation: beach fishing, hiking, ATV trails...

The name for the lake in this campground, Clear Lake, fits perfectly! The lake was clear and beautiful in June. We did not swim, although we saw a few children swimming. We saw many small fish during our boat rides, and we observed a few people catching small ones. You can rent canoes and kayaks from the state park.

Clear Lake in Atlanta, Michigan
Above: picnic area beach

There is a swimming beach in the campground, and one across the lake in the picnic area.

Clear Lake & Jackson Lake hiking map

We had planned to hike from the state park to Jackson Lake State Forest Campground; however, that trip did not work out as planned. This looked like a very doable hike of less than 10 miles roundtrip. We packed our lunch and beverages with plans to eat at Jackson Lake before we began the trek back. 

Clear Lake & Jackson Lake hiking trail

This would have been a great hike except for two things that hindered us: 1) It had rained heavily, and everything was very wet. 2) Apparently, not many people use this trail, because it was extremely overgrown and narrow. On the way out, I was quite diligent about stepping on ferns and other growth on the trail and edges, in order to have an easier return. We were wearing jeans, hiking shoes, and spray for ticks, so if it had not been for the wet conditions, we would have finished the trip.  If you click on the photo above to enlarge it, you will be able to better see the overgrown trail and my soaking wet jeans!

Canada Creek from the trail just outside the state park boundary

We ended up turning around in the area near the roadside park. We walked back along the dirt roads (there was no traffic), and then out to the day use area in the state park. There is a nice trail between the day use area and the campground. There is a direct route, and this trail also makes a loop out west of Clear Lake Drive and along Canada Creek. The loop from our campsite to the day use area and back is about 3½ miles. The direct route is only about a mile, and is an easy walk.

We did not use any of the nearby ORV trails during this stay, although many others did. The campground was only about a quarter full during our stay, and more than half of those campers had off-road vehicles (dirt bikes, RZRs, etc.).

Clear Lake in Atlanta, Michigan

Misc. and overall

We thought this was a great campground! I think we will definitely stick to weekday visits, based on comments I have read from others. Hopefully, we will be able to hike more on our next visit.

If you happen to be traveling, there is a laundromat just a couple of miles south of the state park on M-33. The washers were reasonably priced, although the dryers were expensive!

Safe travels to all! Let me know if you have any questions or information to add.