Most of Michigan's dunes are found on the western coast of the Lower Peninsula, along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Energy (MDNRE) maintains several state parks with campgrounds along this coast and the National Park Service administers the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore which has several campgrounds as well.
Camping by Michigan's Dunes
Sand beaches, spectacular dune-top views, dune climbs and sunsets are a few of the things you can enjoy camping near the Lake Michigan shore. All of Michigan's state park campgrounds on the shore offer improved sites, some parks with hundreds of them. Hiking trails, towering dunes, wildlife viewing areas, swimming, beach volleyball, playgrounds and picnic areas can be found at nearly all these parks. Many state parks are located near river mouths or other lakes, providing fishing opportunities.
Highlights of the Lake Michigan Shore
Warren Dunes in Berrien County has rustic and improved campsites, and dunes 300-feet high line the park's three-mile length of coast. Muskegon State Park in Muskegon County has hundreds of sites, some rustic. There are miles of hiking trails, a pioneer block fort, and a luge run, open during the summer for wheeled luge. Van Buren State Park in Van Buren County is near the resort town of South Haven, home to the National Blueberry Festival, and many other yearly festivals, as well as one of the finest maritime museums in the Great Lakes. The Kal-Haven Trail, a recreational trail leading 40 miles east to Kalamazoo begins here. Ludington State Park in Mason County offers some of the best fishing in the state at Hamlin Lake and Big Sable River.
Sleeping Bear Dunes
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a large park covering 70,000 acres that boasts 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Numerous camping options may be found here, including back-country rustic camps accessible only by foot, rustic campgrounds like D.H. Day Campground with road access for vehicles and RVs, and the Platte River Campground, a large campground with improved sites with water, electricity, and access to modern bathrooms, the Platte River, and nearby Lake Michigan. The park has a dune climb and more than a hundred miles of trails.
Manitou Islands
The Manitou Islands are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes and offer some of the best camping in Michigan. While there are no campgrounds right by the dunes, South Manitou has a feature called perched dunes on the western shore that are no more than a mile hike from any of the three rustic campgrounds, all of which are on the lake shore. These dunes are a huge dune complex set atop a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.This type of dune is found nowhere else in the world. North Manitou offers back-country camping, and has numerous dunes along its shores.
Other Campgrounds by the Dunes
Michigan has several other state parks with campgrounds located on the Lake Michigan shore, including Holland State Park, Grand Haven State Park, P. J. Hoffmaster State Park, Silver Lake State Park, Mears State Park, Orchard Beach State Park, and Leelanau State Park. All these parks have dunes within their boundaries, and many miles of Lake Michigan beaches.
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