Grand Haven, MI in early September

welove2drive wrote:
We are thinking of doing a long weekend trip (3 nights)in September with our DD, DS and his GF, all mid 20's. We have never been to MI and thought Grand Haven sounded interesting. Considering PJ Hoffmaster SP as it is wooded instead of the parking lot campground on the beach. Do people swim that late in the season? Is this campground sheltered from the wind off of the lake? Is the creek within sight of some of the camp sites? Any favorite sites? Any other info or insight you have would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Marcia

It is a very nice campground. They have several loops although they may not all be open during the week. All of them are wooded, either with hardwoods or pine trees. I vaguely recall some might have a view of the creek but it's not much of a creek. I wouldn't base my decision on that. It is sheltered from the wind as the lake is on the other side of the dunes. Miles of beach to hike. As far as water temperature, who knows. Much depends on the wind direction during the time you're there.

Many of the sites are electric only, so fill your tanks on the way in (there is a watering station available).

You may also have to purchase separate vehicle passes for your truck and trailer, and being out of state that might get spendy.

As far as swimable, depends on your tolerance for chill.

al

I would skip Grand Haven since its just a parking lot at the beach. We really like Van Buren State Park in South Haven which is less than an hour south. Hoffmaster State Park is nice also and has trees. Swimming in Lake Michigan in September will be cold.

Actually, if the air is warm and the winds haven't churned up cold water from deeper (both questionable), the water can be quite warm in September (relatively speaking).

The problem is temps start swinging up and down in September so it's hard to say what you will get. It could easily be cool fall weather where you won't want to swim.

Even though Grand Haven is a "parking lot on the beach", it's still a great place. Situated on a channel, you can walk out on a pier to the lighthouse, or along the channel all the way into town. Great for biking, too. That said, Hoffmaster is a beautiful, wooded cg, as described above. Imo, one can't go wrong either way, depending on what you're looking for.

It's a long ways from your home. How about a trip to Springfield with a stay at Double J campground. Check out the Lincoln Museum, monuments, old capital, New Salem, and route 66 historical `stuff' including corn dogs at Cozy's.

Marcia,

PJ is a great place if you want to feel like you are camping and not just parking. I can't recommend a site because we have where we like and that is mostly because our dog seems to like it. Most of the sites have 30 Amp, but look at the diagrams.

Yes, you can swim in the lake - if you choose to. In September the water will probably be warm and the air cool. But, in Michigan we have a saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

Grand Haven is a parking lot on the beach, but you could easily walk or ride up to the musical fountain. In September, they only run it Friday and Saturday nights after dusk.

Matt

Some years you can go swimming in the fall and some years you cannot. I took my husband one year and while I swam, he stood there and shivered. Children will be more able to stand it than adults.

Lake Michigan at Grand Haven is normally NOT colder until late September or early October. We live here and have for over 72 years and know as we swim in the lake a lot, often well into October. Lake's been chilly all summer so far this year but the forecast is for very warm weather starting next week but will it happen, the weather report etc isn't always right. Hoffmaster is an excellent 1100+ acre state park with approx 300 campsites in 4 loops the woods behind the big dunes with a path a couple hundred yards between the dunes to the beack areas and the CG is mostly booked/reserved full until after Laborday. 2-1/2 miles of pristine pure golden sand beach and very gentle sand bottom going out into the water. We love Hoffmaster as there's miles of trails and an excellent visitor center to enjoy.

Same fabulous beach but even so much wider at Grand Haven and rated by the travel magagines etc as one of the 5 best beaches in the entire USA including Hawaii. Also the very popular miles long boardwalk along the wide deep Grand River to and miles past downtown. Over 160 miles of paved constructed off the road bike paths all over the area. Grand Haven area is extremely busy all summer but slows down after the kids go back to school. There's so much to do in the area without spend hardly any money as most venues are free all season llong and families and the retirees simply love it and come back year after and later so do their kids with their families.

Any of those state campgrounds along the western Michigan shoreline, you better check for vacancies first (now). You're inquiring about an area where getting a reservation may be few and far between or even non-existant depending on when. This is a pretty late date to get a reservation in that area. They go 6 months in advance.