Michigan State Parks open for winter camping

Camping? Michigan? Winter?

I definitely don't need reservations. I can barely take our Pennsylvania winters. :B

This only for the state parks. There's Platte River CG at Sleeping Bear Lakeshore Dunes National Park east of Traverse City loop 1. The very nice tiled bathrooms and private door showers are heated and open also as is the dish washing room. CG roads and the sites are kept plowed of snow.

Many private CG's are open in winter also but I haven't seen a "list". We have been to some of them and stayed at some over the years here in Michigan.

Some of the open in winter CG's even fill up because there's so much winter activities to do here during the winter months. Even the Tahquamenon Falls upper CG at the lower falls in the Northern Upper Peninsula is often very busy in the winter as we have been there several times. Pathways to the falls are plowed also there and at the upper falls too. Gorgeous in winter!

When the heavy snow falls, don't expect to drive in and have your pick of sites. This past winter Ludington only had 5 RV sites open after the snow came. Also the dump stations are often close and gated but there's usually a pit toilet available. Tent campers had a lot more options (and there were tent campers there!) I suppose those with the big diesel rigs could plow open their own sites?

I visited Tahquamenon in the winter of 2013 and the lower falls access area was not open, the road was gated and un-plowed. There were 3-4 camp sites plowed at the campground above? the falls. At the upper falls the parking lot was plowed and the restaurant there was open (and very busy), but the walkway to the falls was not, the snow was very difficult to hike as I did not have snow shoes.

While perhaps not officially open Fisherman's Island (outside Charlevoix) does not close for the off-season. The iron ranger is always on duty and if you can make it down the un-plowed seasonal road, beachside camping in winter is lots of fun and breathtaking views. Bring a generator and extra propane - there is no electricity at this park, there are also no bathrooms - not even pit toilets.

Also Wilderness (outside Mackinaw City) is open for the winter, the iron ranger is on duty. Spent thanksgiving weekend on the shore of Lake Michigan in 2014. The inside campground is partly plowed when the snow comes, the beach front is not. Electric is turned on but the bathrooms are all closed up.

GordonThree,

Undoubtedly there are times after a heavy snow that they do not have everything plowed yet. We just have never seen it happen yet in our more than a dozen trips with our TC up there in winter but looks like you have. It can get very cold in the U.P. as we have seen. -30F at night once in the 1st week of February when on Drummond Island for snowmobiling in their homecoming poker run weekend (very popular!) and were staying in our Lance TC. Never even got up to zero F the next day but nothing at all froze inside the TC as we had all cabinet doors left open a little and the bathroom door also. The Lance has heat from the furnace ducted up to the cabover bed area and that's a huge help.

I always take the TC toilet out for winter camping (2 nuts and disconnect the water supply hose - 10 minutes max) and put a tall Porta Potti (5 gal waste tank) where the toilet was and fill the rinse tank with windshield wash anti-freeze solution that's good to -25. The blue stuff from Meijer - very cheap and always works fine and never freezes even between trips at home when the heat's off. Been doing it for over 30 years now and NO issues ever! Dump in any gas station or public toilet, add new chemical and you're back to square one! Very seldom put water in the freshwater tank tank when it's real cold (-5 F or lower) and use a simple plastic 2 and 5 gal water can/containers and sponge bath/wash hair. Heat the water on the propane stove. Even at -30F, the TC furnace didn't run constantly as it cycled roughly in 20 minute intervals. Kept the inside at 70F and just like home.

We do have storm windows and added Astrofoil under the 8" air mattress and have a mattress heater on top. Always bought out TC's new and add the Lance Arctic pack and then further seal any air leaks etc. The 3 Group 31 deep cycle batteries having 225 minutes of draw at 23 amps each does the job so no dead battery issues. The Lance has two 30 lb propane tanks so that's more than sufficient. Also take our Honda EU 2000 along and have dual alternators on our GM diesel truck. We have plenty of propane, 12V and 110 AC with the 1500 watt inverter, the generator and the dual alternators, so it's very comfortable always in the TC and give several back up choices if one should fail.

We love winter RV camping just as much as Spring, Summer, and Fall camping. 12 months a year is great and all 4 seasons are fun in our state!

I thought they closed Michigan in the winter.

Not hardly! Lots of winter festivals and winter sports all over the state. Many downhill ski lodges with long runs resorts, thousands of miles of snowmobile great trails, ice skating rinks all over, sledding and tobbogganning runs all over the state, so much ice fishing on Michigan's over 11,000 inland lakes, tens of thousands of miles of cross country skiing, and so much more. Then add in the camping/RVing. Very busy in most of the state in winter. Michigan is very different than Maryland and/or the East Coast.

Parts of Michigan sorta do close down in winter! I remember traveling on I-75 one winter and suddenly needing to 'go' really urgently. No problem, rest area ahead. Oh wait... it's closed for winter!!! Well, ya gotta, ya gotta... know what I mean? So I wheeled around up the exit ramp and did what I had to do. Desperation... but I don't feel bad because, doggone it, they should keep those places open!!

rexlion wrote:
Parts of Michigan sorta do close down in winter! I remember traveling on I-75 one winter and suddenly needing to 'go' really urgently. No problem, rest area ahead. Oh wait... it's closed for winter!!! Well, ya gotta, ya gotta... know what I mean? So I wheeled around up the exit ramp and did what I had to do. Desperation... but I don't feel bad because, doggone it, they should keep those places open!!

It is disappointing they can't keep at least every-other state rest area open on a MAJOR FEDERAL INTERSTATE year round. I imagine it's something petty like the State wants more money from the feds for winter snow removal or something.

Platte River at Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore is very popular with cross-country skiers.

Thanks much for this info, travelnutz. We're heading back north in October to visit relatives in Minnie and Michigan. We enjoy winter camping. No mosquitoes, no snakes, no ticks. Just brisk and bracing walks:C

travelnutz wrote:
Several forum members have asked me which Michigan State Parks are open for camping in the winter? Here's the DNR list copied and pasted:

Michigan State Parks open for winter camping:

Park County Address Phone
Algonac State Park St. Clair 8732 River Rd., Marine City, MI 48039 810-765-5605

Bay City Recreation Area Bay 3582 State Park Dr., Bay City, I-75 N/US-23 N to M-13; Continue on M-13 N/S Huron Road 1.4 mi.; Turn right onto E. Beaver Rd. 2 mi. to State Park Drive 989-684-3020
Brighton Recreation Area Livingston 6360 Chilson Rd., Howell, MI 48843 810-229-6566

Fort Custer Recreation Area Kalamazoo 5163 Fort Custer Dr., Augusta, MI 49012 269-731-4200

Ludington State Park Mason 8800 W. M-116, 8 mi. N of Ludington on Lakeshore Drive & M-116 231-843-2423

William Mitchell State Park Wexford 6093 E. M-115, 3 mi. N from US-131 in Cadillac 231-775-7911

Muskegon State Park Muskegon 3560 Memorial Dr., North Muskegon, MI 49445 231-744-3480

North Higgins Lake State Park Roscommon 11747 N. Higgins Lake Dr., 5 mi. W from Exit 244 off I-75, or 1 mi. E of US-27 Military Road Exit 989-821-6125

Pinckney Recreation Area* Washtenaw 8555 Silver Hill Rd., Pinckney, MI 48169 734-426-4913

Rifle River Recreation Area Ogemaw 2550 E. Rose City Rd., Exit 202 off I-75, then 20 mi. N on M-33 to Rose City, then 4.5 mi. E on Rose City Road (F-28) near Lupton 989-473-2258

Tahquamenon Falls State Park Chippewa 41382 W. M-123, 55 mi. W to Paradise off M-123 906-492-3415

Tawas Point State Park Iosco 686 Tawas Beach Rd., East Tawas, MI 48730 989-362-5041

Tippy Dam Recreation Area Manistee 1500 Dilling Rd., Brethren, MI 49619 231-848-4880

Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park Grand Traverse 1132 US-31 N.; I-75 to M-72; W on M-72 to intersect with US-31; S on US-31 3.6 mi. to park entrance. 231-922-5270

Waterloo Recreation Area (Portage Lake Campground) Jackson 10300 Seymour Rd., Grass Lake, MI 49240 734-475-8307

14 of the over 100 Michigan State Parks are open for camping all winter long.