Ludington VS Sleeping Bear / Platte River Campground

Be sure to take the scenic drive through Sleeping Bear Dunes Natl. Lakeshore.
We were there during the first two weeks of June last year. Neither mosquitoes nor black flies were a problem (but I don't know if we were just lucky).

Thank you so much. ! Like Parrothead Mike said, there is always next year!

Do you know if there are any Fourth of July activities in that area? We are either thinking the last week of June or fourth of July week.

Definitely Platte River - we volunteered there for nine seasons! :)

Sleeping Bear Dunes has awesome beaches and the gentle Platte River gives a safe canoe or kayak ride. The rental can be walked to from the campground - along with an ice cream cone.

The whole area has unique quaint small towns to explore. It's a gorgeous area. You can also take a ferry to South Manitou Island for a day trip and tour the lighthouse (we lived on the island three season to give the tours) and there's also a farm tour of the early inhabitants. No stores so bring your drinks and lunch.

We've never had a mosquito problem and flies were bad only for a few day period one year.

It's an extremely popular park so get your reservations now.

It's not black flies you have to worry about, it's mosquitos. And yes, they will be plentiful. You just need to be prepared. Everything has it's pluses and minuses.

One thing you'll have to understand about Orchard Beach State Park in Manistee. The campground is on a bluff above the water. The only way down to the beach is a wooden stairway consisting of about 75 steps. Still, it's a nice beach, but if you're not into stair climbing I'd check out something flatter.

Platte River is a nice campground. The Platte River itself can be accessed fairly easily from the campground and is a nice canoe or kayak ride down to the big lake. The Platte River campground is fairly close to the Sleeping Bear Nat'l Lakeshore which can be great for dune climbing or sightseeing. The small town of Empire, along the way, has a nice little beach on Lake Michigan. BTW, just east of Empire, along M-72, is a nice private campground, Indigo Bluffs. It has a pool and there is a golf course across the road.

July is a very busy time along Lake Michigan. All the state parks are full or nearly full. Late June is also a nice time as temperatures can vary whichever month you go. Black flies aren't a particular problem along Lake Michigan. When I lived in the U.P. the black flies can drive you away from the beach areas quickly.

Ludington SP is extremely busy, especially in July & August. If you're planning to get into any of the Lake Michigan state parks be sure to reserve as early as possible. Use the state park reservations website to research potential sites (there are photos of campsites along with the lot size & levelness). 6 months out is the registration open period and many people are on their computers ready to jump onto sites of their choosing the moment they are able to reserve. Set up an account early so that it makes reservations easier.

https://www.midnrreservations.com/

Petoskey SP is on the water. There is a paved bicycle trail that goes by the park which you can access easily. The further north you are the cooler the big lake temps are unless we have very warm temps early in the summer.

If you have young kids or kids that are active you'd best shoot for Platte River. There are plenty of things to do around there. You can tube the river too. Even though I say this you can't go wrong at any of the parks you've mentioned. Besides, there's always next year.

You'll enjoy either, you can't go wrong. They both have plenty to offer. If I was me, I'd choose ludington. The state park is wonderful although sites are small and dirt, the park itself had plenty of activities. Make reservations immediately.

I would stay in whichever one you can get reservations for. And for those dates I would be on the site right now. They can be very tough to get into during the summer.

I have stayed at all of the above campgrounds. For the best campground I would definitely recommend Poncho's pond in Ludington. If you want to stay in one place and see things from Ludington to Sleeping Bear I would recommend Little River casino campground just north of Manistee.

Thank you. Orchard Beach looks real nice since it is right on the water. We want to canoe, swim, tube and explore the area. Do you know if that is offered in that area? I was also looking at Petoskey State Park as well.

We have stayed at both. I like the Platt river campground myself. This is a federal park so you are subject to the federal park fees. Nice area to explore and enjoy the lakes and dunes. Ludington is also a good spot more to do in the way of town type stuff.another choice in between is Orchard beach state park in Manastee. I like Manistee and the little shops etc.. You can wait untill July and the weather will most likely be warmer as well as the lake temps. you will also have fewer camping choices as you will be at the peak season. I have not experienced black flies in the areas where you are considering.