We are heading up to the UP the second week in September and are contemplating parks to visit. Looking at pictures, a majority of the campsites in these parks look like manicured lawns with minimal separation between campsites. Is there a park that when you look out your window you're not staring into the neighbor's trailer? With trees and undergrowth inbetween sites like Wisconsin parks? So far from what I've seen I'm not terribly impressed - prove me wrong please!To be more specific, I'm considering Porcupine Mountains, Twin Lakes, FJ McLain, Baraga, Ft Wilkins, Lake Gogebic...where would be a good park to basecamp out of for half a week with my above criteria? Thanks!

Some of the sites at McLain are set off from each other by trees, though not all. Porcupine Mt was a big disappointment to us in this regard too - after driving for miles through thick pine forests, we came upon this wide-open CG with almost no trees. :(Anyway, our site at McLain was #60. Our 34' TT barely fit in it, but it at least was semi-private. Other sites I marked as "good" (but I can't guarantee that meant they had trees between them & the next sites - though that is our preference as well): 72,73,77,49,90,91,23,27,46,26. Hope this helps. Our experience with Michigan SPs was not as good, in general, as with Wisconsin ones either, for similar reasons to the one you cite. Good luck! (You will probably need to reserve a site in advance, BTW - Michigan SPs are pretty popular!)P.S. Being used to wooded sites with lots of privacy, living in the West takes a little getting used to. :)

I know what you mean. The MI state parks are definitely more geared to the social camper. While I tend to prefer a more private setting, these "open lawns" are still nice. I seem to recall a few nicely-treed, somewhat private campsites in McLain SP. Heading north up the 1-way loop, there were some near the end of the loop before turning left and returning back south. McLain is right on the big lake. If you go, be sure to drive up the western side of that peninsula for some great scenery.(edit: looks like kknowlton and I were typing at the same time!)

We enjoyed our stay at Porcupine Mountain State Park a few years ago. Site 25 is lakefront and large.

Go HERE click on park or location and find the state park your interested in. Then when you click on the site it will come up with a picture of that site to give you a better idea of what the site looks like.

Just came back from Lake Gogebic there are quite a few isolated site there. In Sept there will most likely be many sites available at all the parks. Pick a park pull in and find the site that suits you best. The UP state parks are very nice.

UP of Michigan state parks | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

rexlion
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
McLain lost some campsites and shoreline to erosion this past winter. Getting a campsite could be more challenging this year.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Apr 23, 2015
We`ll be in the UP the first week of July. we`re staying at Munising Tourist Park Campground in Munising MI. our site is right on Lake Superior. yes it is a bit tight, but for location and view it should be beautiful! and it`s very close to Pictured Rocks.

Edit: I completely overlooked the "State Park" and "Porcupine Mtns" part of the post. Sorry!
rmnpcolorado
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
Looking at the site pictures of Union Bay in Porcupine Mountains, those are mighty grassy and open. As I explained at the top, not exactly our cup of tea.
Bob806
Explorer III
Jul 20, 2014
Union Bay campground is sweet, right on Lake Superior. It's in the Porcupine Mts. area near Ontanogan, & the sunsets are fantastic.
arvie
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014
Fort Wilkins has fairly large wooded sites.
APT
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014
Michigan state parks reservations system has pictures of nearly every campsite and a description. Start here and drill down to a desired park/campground loop/site. If you do not need any hookups, then a State Forest rustic campground fits you better. There are no site descriptions or even campground maps. But Google satellite view may assist. Pictured Rocks also offers the camping style you desire.
GordonThree
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
A large portion of the U P is National Forest, which is free to camp in, and can be very isolated.
Dog_Trainer
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
Just came back from Lake Gogebic there are quite a few isolated site there. In Sept there will most likely be many sites available at all the parks. Pick a park pull in and find the site that suits you best. The UP state parks are very nice.
travelzoo
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
Go HERE click on park or location and find the state park your interested in. Then when you click on the site it will come up with a picture of that site to give you a better idea of what the site looks like.
wanderingdawgs
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
We enjoyed our stay at Porcupine Mountain State Park a few years ago. Site 25 is lakefront and large.