Michigan's state forest system includes more than 4 million acres, making it the largest state forest system in the country. Michigan's state forests have 145 campgrounds with more than 3,000 campsites, and more than 60 of these are in the Upper Peninsula. Upper Michigan is also home to two national forests covering more than 2 million acres and boasting dozens more campgrounds. Several state parks, a national lakeshore and Isle Royale National Park also have campgrounds in forested areas in Michigan's U.P.
State Forest Camping
Michigan's state forest campgrounds give campers an opportunity to enjoy the rich outdoor resources and environments the Great Lakes State has to offer. All of Michigan's state forest campgrounds are rustic and tend to be somewhat smaller and less developed than state park camps. No electricity, modern bathrooms or other improvements are found at these camps, but all are outfitted with vault toilets, fire rings and access to running water. Every Michigan state forest campground is located on one of the state's thousands of lakes or streams. Campers may also engage in dispersed camping, choosing their own campsites. See the Resources section for links to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Energy Department (MDNRE) for more information.
State Parks
Michigan has many state parks in the Upper Peninsula as well, and many of these offer a great opportunity for campers: access to large areas of forests, Great Lakes coastline and many of Michigan's lakes and streams, as well as modern improvements like electricity, modern bathrooms, showers and RV hookups. Most offer rustic camping, as well. Some of these parks, like the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park at more than 60,000 acres, have huge tracts of old-growth forest. The Porcupine Mountains park has many camps that are entirely rustic, including rustic cabins and yurts. Many other parks have more than one campground, like Straits State Park, which has more than 250 campsites at three camps.
Hiawatha National Forest
The Hiawatha National Forest is divided into two areas, the East Unit and the West Unit. The West Unit stretches from Lake Superior to Lake Michigan and has several campgrounds and dispersed camping areas. This unit also includes Grand Island National Recreation Area, a large island just offshore from the town of Munising. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore also runs along more than 40 miles of Lake Superior in this area, and it has many backcountry camps for campers hiking the trail along the coast. The East Unit also borders Lake Superior and stretches down to Lake Huron near St. Ignace. This area has many campgrounds, as well. Like most national forest campgrounds, these camps are intended mainly for tent camping and lack modern amenities, but small trailers and campers are welcome.
Ottawa National Forest
The Ottawa National Forest is at the western end of the Upper Peninsula and stretches from Lake Superior to the Wisconsin border. This area of almost a million acres has dozens of campgrounds in many scenic and wild areas. The McCormick Wilderness Area, the Black River Recreation Area, the Sylvania Wilderness Area and the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness Area are just a few of this system's many treasures. Campers enjoy access to many lakes and streams, views of dozens of waterfalls, miles of undisturbed mature woodlands and native wildlife, including bears, moose and deer. This is one of the wildest areas of Michigan and a great place to flee from civilization. As in the Hiawatha Forest, rustic camping is the norm at most campgrounds.
Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park's remote location in the northern reaches of Lake Superior and its designation as an International Wilderness and Biosphere Preserve make it one of the wildest and least-visited places east of the Rocky Mountains. Fewer than 15,000 people per year step foot on this hidden, 210-square-mile gem, and its many campgrounds are great places to see forest succession in action. Many different types of forest are found here, from conifers draped with moss to mature beech-maple forests, as well as large stands of aspens which provide food for beavers. Lucky visitors may glimpse a moose, or more rarely, one of the park's wolves. More than 40 inland lakes dot the island, and hundreds of miles of trails allow hikers to venture into the wilderness for weeks at a time.
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