Michigan SPs

Veebyes wrote:
Maybe I'll look for a SP a little more inland. A beach does not mean much to us, some of the worlds finest pink sand beaches are less than 15 minutes from my house, so we tend to like wooded CGs anyway. We are looking at late June so it is peak season for wherever.

You'll have much more luck that way. Everyone wants to be on Lake Michigan, it's beautiful.

Maybe I'll look for a SP a little more inland. A beach does not mean much to us, some of the worlds finest pink sand beaches are less than 15 minutes from my house, so we tend to like wooded CGs anyway. We are looking at late June so it is peak season for wherever.

Keep an eye on the dates you want and site availability. There are always cancellations. I would not plan to stay there without a reservation. I hope you get in there. It is my family's favorite park.

Veebyes wrote:
Comments about availability at Ludington SP got me wondering since we don't usually make reservations unless it is a weekend or special event.

How are high demand parks like Ludington SP midweek, say Sun through Thur? Plenty of space & do they hold some spaces for drive ups?

People plan their entire summer vacation based on if and when they get a site here. The park is always full in the summer regardless of day of the week. You can probably wing it for weekdays when school is in session, but from June-September, you need a reservation for anytime.

There will not be open spaces there, and there aren't drive ups available.

You'll need a reservation for any night you want to stay.

You can always get a site in the city and drive into the state park for the day. These too will probably be full months in advance for summer weekends though.

If you like Ludington as a location, check out the Lake Michigan Recreation Area, it's a pretty big federal park that actually encompasses some of the Ludington State Park's trail system, the two parks share the Manistee National Forest and kind of meet in the middle.

If I am not mistaken, parks like Holland, Grand Haven and Ludington do not have dedicated walk up only sites.

Specifically in regards to Holland SP, this past summer we made last minute plans to camp there during the week. The site I reserved was only available for three nights (Sun - Tues). We could have stayed the other two nights, but would have had to move each night. This was for the Pines section. The Beach campground had a few open sites, but you would have had to move every night.

Your chances of getting into Ludington without a reservation are not good. They do not hold any sites for drive-ups. During off-season (while school is still in session) you probably have a fair chance. June through August, not so much. The state parks on the west side of the state, lower peninsula, fill up fast. Once you get away from that area reservations still are necessary but usually more readily available. I would never attempt a drive up in the lower. Might chances in the UP but no reason why I would even do that. Why not just make a reservation and be done with it?