Planning a family trip to a lake in either Wisconsin or Michigan this July. 2 families with travel trailers. Looking for:1. Prefer Lake Front sites. 2. Good Fishing.3. Boating opportunities. 4. Secluded/Spaced Out Campsites.I know there are tons of options, however I have spent countless hours looking online with not much luck due to the abundance of choices. Looking for Tried-and-True recommendations.

In Michigan, private campground might still have frontage sites available but the State Parks are all sold out for July. Check out Michigan's East Coast, Lake Huron, US-23 It's a LOT LESS BUSY. Interior sites were available in every park I visited, during the 4th of July week, which was amazing.It will help get you better information if you share how far you're willing to drive, and how many days you have.BTW, Welcome to the forums.

GordonThree wrote:In Michigan, private campground might still have frontage sites available but the State Parks are all sold out for July. Did you really check to see that ALL the state parks are sold out for July?I just put in a date of July 5 for 4 nights and many have sites available (green dots). I didn't check the whole state but still.....https://www.midnrreservations.com/MichiganStateParks%2fNorthernMI%3fMap

2gypsies wrote:GordonThree wrote:In Michigan, private campground might still have frontage sites available but the State Parks are all sold out for July. Did you really check to see that ALL the state parks are sold out for July?I just put in a date of July 5 for 4 nights and many have sites available (green dots). I didn't check the whole state but still.....https://www.midnrreservations.com/MichiganStateParks%2fNorthernMI%3fMapYes, I did a pretty comprehensive search of the western parks. The green dots you see are interior sites. If you've found a lakefront site available during July, reserve it and buy a lotto ticket, you're pretty lucky.My search was several weeks ago when July first opened up in the 6 month window.

I just got in Hoffmaster S.P. this morning for mid July.I ain't telling where I'm looking after that.edit add: didn't realize you meant lakeside "site".

TxGearhead wrote:I just got in Hoffmaster S.P. this morning for mid July.I ain't telling where I'm looking after that.edit add: didn't realize you meant lakeside "site".That's a great park. I love the dozen or so small sites that back up to the little creek, very tranquil.

Planning July Trip Wisconsin or Michigan | Good Sam Community

drsteve
Explorer
Jan 28, 2017
joe puma wrote:
We've been trying to book Holland SP, has some beach sites tried logging on first thing in morning and they're gone before we can book.

Just looked, and there is at least one beach site available first week of June. Use the partial availability calendar to see all sites and dates available on one screen.
People cancel and rebook all the time. Watch the website on a regular basis, stuff pops up at odd times.
joe_puma
Explorer
Jan 28, 2017
We've been trying to book Holland SP, has some beach sites tried logging on first thing in morning and they're gone before we can book. Might be interior sites. If you want full hook up, depending on trailer size and type we love Sunny Brook RV resort in South Haven. Beautiful sites, pool, five minutes to town and lake front. Probably fishing boats in town.
drsteve
Explorer
Jan 28, 2017
drsteve wrote:
What he said. And now the time frame you want is probably filled, so if you cancel, you will have to start watching the reservation site for other site cancellations to open up, or just eat the fees and use only the days you want.

Anyone who wonders why they see open sites in fully booked campgrounds now knows at least one reason.

Uh-oh... I was just making a reservation at Hoffmaster SP, and I see that they DO now allow changes to existing reservations, without being forced to cancel and start over. There is however a $10 charge for doing so, as well as another $8 reservation charge.

My bad.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Jan 28, 2017
drsteve wrote:
Did you read the rules first? You will lose your reservation fee for each booking, plus you have to cancel the whole reservation (you cannot just cancel days off the existing reservation) and then start all over new, with another reservation fee tacked on.

What he said. And now the time frame you want is probably filled, so if you cancel, you will have to start watching the reservation site for other site cancellations to open up, or just eat the fees and use only the days you want.

Anyone who wonders why they see open sites in fully booked campgrounds now knows at least one reason.

Exactly. This kind of practice ruins it for others.
drsteve
Explorer
Jan 27, 2017
Did you read the rules first? You will lose your reservation fee for each booking, plus you have to cancel the whole reservation (you cannot just cancel days off the existing reservation) and then start all over new, with another reservation fee tacked on.

What he said. And now the time frame you want is probably filled, so if you cancel, you will have to start watching the reservation site for other site cancellations to open up, or just eat the fees and use only the days you want.

Anyone who wonders why they see open sites in fully booked campgrounds now knows at least one reason.
bid_time
Nomad II
Jan 27, 2017
bgradert wrote:
We booked Holland, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Petoskey the last week in June right when the 6 months timeline hit. I had to book a bunch of extra days to get our spots but I will go back and cancel the days we don't need. You have to plan in advance for popular parks.
Did you read the rules first? You will lose your reservation fee for each booking, plus you have to cancel the whole reservation (you cannot just cancel days off the existing reservation) and then start all over new, with another reservation fee tacked on.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Jan 26, 2017
TxGearhead wrote:
Sleeping Bear Dunes Federal Seashore seems much harder to book than state parks.

It definitely is difficult to get a site there. It's been listed in many publications as a premier destination park.... for a reason. It's in a beautiful area of Michigan and the park is awesome. We volunteered there for 9 seasons. It holds a special place for us. You won't be disappointed if you can get a site.

One reason that it's great is that it has a lot of rules and they're enforced. :)
TxGearhead
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2017
Sleeping Bear Dunes Federal Seashore seems much harder to book than state parks. I'm looking in the same area and am seeing vacancies late into the night at state parks. Just have to dig.
I'm not used to this mad rush at booking time to get a reservation. The short camping season up north puts a squeeze on it. We're pretty much year round down here. Spring break is a bit crowded but otherwise it's rock and roll.
bgradert
Explorer
Jan 25, 2017
We booked Holland, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Petoskey the last week in June right when the 6 months timeline hit. I had to book a bunch of extra days to get our spots but I will go back and cancel the days we don't need. You have to plan in advance for popular parks.
rexlion
Explorer
Jan 24, 2017
You might take a look at http://www.alconapark.com/