Free guide to Michigan's State Parks

Michigan has 97 state parks and recreation areas. That makes for a lot of opportunities for recreation that many other states just don't have. It also makes for a lot of information to go through when you try to decide to camp or stop at one of our state parks. Well, I created a lens at Squidoo on the Michigan State Parks that I hope parcels out enough information to help narrow down your search without overwhelming the user. For each of the state parks and recreation areas I provide campground details (if a campground is available) and the recreation activities that await visitors such as hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, and many others.

Each state park listing is provided with a link to a page with even more information about that park. Basically, my guide is a condensed highlight guide that you can scan much quicker than the full detail pages.

The Michigan State Parks are grouped geographically as follows - Upper Peninsula State Parks Northern Michigan State Parks Western Michigan State Parks Eastern Michigan State Parks

Visit the Michigan State Parks lens today.

Still some spaces available at State Park Campgrounds

Surprisingly enough there are still campsites available at State Park Campgrounds. Usually the 4th of July holiday sees 100% capacity at nearly every park. It is one of the biggest (along with Labor Day Weekend) camping dates on the summer calendar. You will be most successful in finding a site if you choose one of the lesser known (but still wonderful) Michigan State Parks. The Detroit Free Press has a list of the current occupancy report and you can visit Michigan.gov/dnr for a list that is supposed to be updated each morning.

Fun Camping at Wilderness State Park

Features:

• 6 Rustic cabins with 4-8 bunks
• 3 Rustic bunkhouses with 24 bunks, available for families or groups
• 250 sites
• Average Nightly Rate - $27 (in season)

The majority of the sites are the perfect size for tent camping or pop-ups and mid-size campers. There are only a handful of sites large enough to accommodate the large RVs and none of the lakeside sites offer space for these.

The 8,000-acre Wilderness State Park is open all year and offers park visitors a variety of activities. Winter activities include twelve miles of cross country ski trails and places to snowmobile. Summer activities include sixteen miles of hiking and mountain biking trails in the park. Picnic areas are available along the 26 miles of beautiful shoreline and provide great places to observe nature and catch a glimpse of a Great Lakes Freighter making its way through the Straits of Mackinac.

The campground area of Wilderness State Park is divided into three areas. The East Lakeshore, West Lakeshore, and The Pines. The Pines campground is on the south side of Wilderness Park Drive within walking distance of the shore. Each of these three areas has their own playground and modern restroom and shower facilities.

A summer 2002 visit to site 64 in the East Lakeshore campground was quite pleasant. Site 64 is within a stones throw of the water allowing for great views of sunsets and moonlight upon Lake Michigan. The site was also far enough away from the restrooms to avoid the noise and extra traffic near those facilities, but not too far of a walk to make it inconvenient.

Many Pine trees surround all of the sites, which are small, but roomy enough to not feel closed in by your neighbors. The sunsets into the water were picture perfect and the waves crashing on the sandy beach made a pleasant lullaby for sleeping.

If you go:

Take Wilderness Park Drive 11 miles west of Mackinaw City. If you need extra food or other camping supplies don't stop for them in Mackinaw City. Stop in at the B&L Campstore for ice, groceries, souvenirs, or camping supplies. It might not look like much on the outside, but their prices are much lower than you can find in town and their unique items for sale inside make the stop worthwhile.

Make your reservation today at www.midnrreservations.com.