Named the Most Beautiful Place in America by ABC's "Good Morning America," Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers a variety of camping experiences within the northwest corner of the Lower Peninsula. While it's open all year, the Platte River Campground fills nightly during summer months. The campground's wooded setting sits a short hike from the river and less than 2 miles from the Lake Michigan shore. Tent and walk-in sites, recreational vehicle sites with electricity and modern restrooms and dumping facilities accommodate a variety of camping styles. Campsites are secured on a first-come first-served basis or by reservation.
Other camping options include D.H. Day rustic campground and backcountry camping at four locations.
Colored sandstone cliffs and Lake Superior's wild beauty attract campers to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which follows Superior's coastline for 40 miles between Munising and Grand Marais. Twelvemile Beach Campground perches above Superior 15 miles west of Grand Marais. The year-round campground has 36 rustic drive-in campsites. What it lacks in amenities it makes up for in scenic woodland, freshwater breezes and Superior's stunning shoreline. It offers best access for walking the isolated Great Lakes coast to the towering Grand Sable Banks. Sites accommodate recreational vehicles up to 36 feet in length. No reservations are required for camping at this Upper Peninsula jewel. Other drive-in options include Little Beaver and Hurricane River campgrounds. Backcountry camping is available along the 42-mile stretch of the North Country National Scenic Trail which runs through the park.
Isle Royale National Park in northwest Lake Superior consists of the main island and 450 small isles. The remote archipelago park is designated an International Biosphere for its distinctive ecosystem. Thirty-one rustic campgrounds with one to six campsites each are located throughout the main island. Three Mile Campground offers four sites situated 3 miles west of Rock Harbor Visitor Center near the eastern end of the main island. The location provides campers the best access to camping permits, water, showers and ranger-led interpretive programs. Open from April through November, campsites are available on a first-come first-served basis.
If you think the best campground is the place you drop after a day of adventuring in the wilds, tent along the North Country National Scenic Trail in the Upper Peninsula's Trap Hills. Or, just roll out a sleeping bag beneath the stars here. The Trap Hills section of the seven-state trail winds for 34 miles through remote areas of the Ottawa National Forest between Michigan Highway 64 and Old Victoria. The visual feast includes waterfalls, old growth forests, cliffs and grand vistas. Because there are no developed campsites, hikers may camp where they choose, but campers are encouraged to pick a site identified by earlier trekkers.
