Forum Discussion

hellbird503's avatar
hellbird503
Explorer
Jul 07, 2015

Michigan

Headed up I69 into Michigan next week. Would like to hear about good rv parks,good routes,and good attractions there. Not into camping in state parks, want full hookups and larger sites. Thanks for any info, Dave
  • not on 69 but I liked South Haven & Saugatuck. Stayed in Van Buren St Prk
  • I-69 takes you up to Lansing, then across through Flint to Port Huron, not all that far north of Detroit. Most of what is left of my family in Michigan lives somewhere along or near I-69.

    There is a RV park in Lansing (Cottonwood) and it is OK if you have a reason to be in Lansing and need a place to stay, but I don't see it as a vacation destination. Somewhat north of Flint, there is a RV park in Frankenmuth, located for those visiting that tourist destination (Bronner's Christmas World). I haven't stayed there, since Frankenmuth is a short drive from a couple of places where I stay with relatives.

    Many of the recreational camping destinations in southern Michigan are in the western part of the state, along the Lake Michigan shore or in the dunes east of the the shore, in wine country. The other recreational area is east of I-69, north of I-94, from Jackson to Brighton, then north and east from Brighton toward Waterford in northern Oakland County. It is all around a chain of glacial lakes running from Jackson to Pontiac.

    Most of my camping in these areas has been camping, not RVing, in the state and regional recreation areas (Kensington, Island Lake, Brighton SRA, Waterloo, Pinckney). I think if I wanted a classy RV destination, I might go to Camp Dearborn, near Milford in western Oakland County, on the fringe of the Detroit metro area. That park is well run, but because I camped rather than RV'd, I'm not sure about the size of the RV sites.

    Most of the people RVing in Michigan will usually be going to someplace north of Clare, if not going to the shores of Lake Michigan or Lake Huron.
  • I'm a bit partial to western Michigan and the Lake Michigan shoreline. There are some very nice small towns north from South Haven: Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven, Ludington, Manistee, the Leelanau Peninsula in very northwest Michigan (Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore), Traverse City, Petoskey and right on up to the Mackinac Bridge.

    In South Haven you'll find a fairly new FHU campground called Sunny Brook RV Resort. If you like blueberries early July is the time for them in the South Haven area. Downtown SH is very nice and the Lake Michigan beaches there are great. A visit to the small towns of Saugatuck & Douglas will give you that tourist/artsy stuff.

    http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/michigan/south-haven/sunny-brook-rv-resort

    Up in Holland you'll find a great beach at the state park, but if you prefer FHUs just down the road is Oak Grove Campground. Downtown Holland is nice and while it's not the season for tulips it is called the "Tulip City" with a strong Dutch heritage along with a real Dutch windmill.

    http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/michigan/holland/oak-grove-campground-resort

    Further north along the lakeshore is Silver Lake near a small town called Mears (near Hart, MI). We stayed in very nice FHU RV resort called Silver Creek RV Resort. The large dunes (dune buggy rides) and Lake Michigan are the big draw here, but there are other things in the area to visit. Cherries are also in season along the lakeshore.

    http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/michigan/mears/silver-creek-rv-resort

    Ludington is a very busy summer town along the lakeshore. Some neighbors stay the month of July in a FHU campground there called Poncho's Pond TV Park. It's highly rated with over 250 sites.

    http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/michigan/ludington/ponchos-pond-rv-park


    Further north is Manistee. There is a FHU campground at the Little River Casino. From there you can take a day trip or two north to Sleeping Bear Nat'l Lakeshore near Glen Harbor (follow M-22 from the casino north-beautiful ride). A bit further north is the Leelanau Peninsula. It's very pretty in this area with lots of cherry farms, wineries, and cute little towns. I'm not familiar with any FHU campgrounds in this area though. And would stay at the casino or check over near Traverse City for a FHU park. I know there are some, but I've never stayed in any of them.

    http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/michigan/manistee/little-river-casino-resort

    If you don't want to visit the west side of the state (the most beautiful side IMHO) there is the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn west of Detroit.

    Have a nice trip.
  • We just stayed at Holiday Shores in Durand, MI. Very nice. Also stayed at Pine Ridge in Birch Run, Mi. You would like both parks
  • Easy. Search this Forum for `Michigan' and for camping information limit the search in the RV Parks section. Lots of info including my posts. Also search for Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City and do a Google search for `Michigan tourism'. That should do it.
  • This is our favorite RV resort in southern Michigan: Silver Creek

    Excellent CG
    Nice area.
    Lots to do.
    Four Wheeling
    Good Food
    Bike Trails
    etc...
  • The KOA in South Bend (may be a little out of your way) is THE BEST I have ever been to. Extremely clean, friendly staff including the owners, extremely clean, well designed and extremely clean. Did I mention extremely clean???
  • How far North do you plan to go, and what are your interests?

    i69 is in southern Michigan, not an area I'm very well versed in. I will say, if you're heading toward the top of lower Mich or the UP, bring warm clothes. The weather has been a roller coaster this year. Just yesterday it was 85, today, barely made 60 and was into the low 50s overnight.

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