Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore hugs the Lake Michigan coast, spanning 50,000 acres in Benzie and Leelanau counties. One of its most popular campgrounds is located in north Benzie County. Open year round, Platte River Campground at the national park offers 96 campsites, including pull-through sites, full hookups and 25 walk-in tent sites. Amenities include modern restrooms, potable water and a sanitation station. Campers are a stone's throw from the river and 2 miles from Lake Michigan. Sleeping Bear's many attractions include massive sand dunes, the 7.5-mile Pierce Stocking Drive showcasing a beech-maple forest and an overlook, a restored lumbering village from the early 1900s, an island lighthouse and multiple hiking trails.
Garey Lake Trail Camp, a Michigan State Forest Campground, welcomes equestrian campers along the Michigan Shore-to-Shore riding/hiking trail. Situated just east of the trail's Empire starting point, Garey Lake Campground provides respite for campers traversing the pathway to the state's eastern point at Oscoda. The equestrian-friendly campground accommodates 200 people with campsites for tents and small trailers. Its simple amenities include vault toilets, hand-pumped water and a boat launch for enjoying boating, paddling and fishing on Garey Lake.
Four rustic state forest campgrounds are located in Benzie County. They offer tent and small trailer sites on a first-come, first-served basis. Amenities include vault toilets and hand-pumped potable water. Lake Ann Campground has 30 sites. Activities include boating, fishing and hiking and biking the 5.8-mile Lake Ann Pathway. Veterans Memorial campground has 24 sites on the Platte River near the Platte River State Fish Hatchery. Campers enjoy paddling, fishing and touring the hatchery complex, the state's primary salmon hatchery. Platte River State Forest Campground, not to be confused with Platte River Campground at Sleeping Bear, is also near the hatchery. It has 26 sites offering hiking and biking on the Platte Springs Pathway. Grass Lake Campground, situated 10 miles northeast of Thompsonville, has 15 rustic sites providing campers access to boating, fishing, paddling and hiking.
Benzie County's private campgrounds expand camper options while keeping campers close to area attractions. Betsie River Campsite in Frankfort offers 101 grassy sites with electricity, bike and kayak rentals. In Beulah, Turtle Lake Campground and RV resort offers more than 163 sites, full hookups, a playground, hiking trails and kayak, canoe and tube rentals. Along the Platte River in Beulah, Sunny Woods Resort offers 35 full-service campsites, modern restrooms and an outdoor pool for family fun.
