Trekers

This campground is in Marquette, near Northern Michigan University. But once you're camped there, you won't feel like you're in one of the largest cities in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The sites are generally spacious and they have a lot of options to choose from based on what rig you have and how you like to camp. They have tent sites that are non-electric, about 100 RV sites with just electric, and another 38 sites that have water and sewer hookups. They even have some sites that are pull-through.

They also offer a dump station and potable water for folks that don't have the full hookup sites. The campground is adjacent to a municipal park that has a beach. The campground also offers sites that overlook Dead River Basin. The sites aren't paved, so rainy days could lead to some mud to deal with, but the nice stand of trees and the basin view can make up for it. There also are some sites that are tucked into the trees quite a bit for additional privacy.

Because you're near a major UP city, you have access to plenty of shopping and services if you need them, plus there is great cellular service in the campground. The park wifi is a bit weak depending on where you are at in relation to the office, but we used our wifi booster and had smooth sailing for our jobs all day long.

The bathroom and shower facilities seem older but also appeared to be clean and functioned well. There weren't very many showers, so if you need to use one you may need to wait for it.

All-in-all a great campground that serves as a perfect oasis in an area where there aren't any state parks to choose from. We also liked that when they close the office at night, they print out a map with all the reserved sites, so if you show up without a reservation, you can quickly check the map to find an open site. Then you just get some rest and register at the office in the morning.

This is one of our favorite state parks for just hanging out. We prefer the Lower West campground due to proximity to the water and views of the Mackinac Bridge.

This place can get very busy and the sites are quite varied in terms of size, shape and how unlevel they are. Some sites offer a lot of privacy but others are more open. The sites right along the water are spectacular, but note they do not have electricity.

If you have a van or truck camper, note that even the tent sites have electricity available, so consider those if the RV sites are full.

The Lower West campground isn't the quietest campground but the views and atmosphere make up for it -- and a lot of other noises get overshadowed by the crashing waves anyway. Even when full, the closer you can get to the water, the less crowded you will feel due to the way the sites are laid out.

Bathrooms always seemed to be clean and well-maintained. They have unisex shower rooms that are separate from the bathrooms, which we always appreciate.

If you need provisions on the way in, there is a grocery store right at the end of the road that leads to the state park, so it's quite close. Also note there is good cell service for Verizon and Google Fi (2 to 3 bars LTE with decent data speeds) so if you're looking for a nice place to camp but still need to get work done, this could be it!

Torreya State Park is tucked away by itself and has a smaller campground at only 29 sites, and it's part of what makes it a great place to get away.

Small and remote means peace and quiet. The sites aren't very private, but there aren't many and folks seem to keep to themselves.

The bathrooms are small but decent and well-maintained, and there are 30-amp electric and water on each site. Another nice feature is a very clean laundry area. It only has one washer and dryer, but the campground is small enough that doesn't seem to be a problem.

Nearby trails, some accessible right from the campground, also make this a good spot to use as a basecamp if you want to get out and explore some of Florida's natural beauty. Also, Gregory House is an 1850s plantation home that you can visit for a guided tour and is within walking distance of the campground.

With only about 15 sites and no fancy amenities, this is a pretty quiet spot to rest for a night while passing through the area.

Site 11 is a prime spot due to location, access and layout.

Most sites will require some leveling work if you're in an RV, depending on the size of your rig, but they aren't terribly off-kilter.

Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are vault toilets and we'll water available.

Cell service was very good on T-Mobile and great on Verizon.

Be prepared for mosquitoes and deer flies (in July anyway).

This was a nice campground near the Gooseberry Falls, with easy access to the trails and waterfalls right from camp.

No electricity or water for filling RVs, but fresh water is available and there is an RV dump station. Nice bathroom facilities overall but be ready for water-conserving showers that turn off quite quickly. At least the water stayed hot.

Mix of sites in terms of size, shape and layout so we saw a lot of different tent and RV combos. Dirt roads and dirt campsites did make for a dusty time during dry conditions.

Be sure to ask for the CCC map at the visitors center and then go find all the remaining structures. It's a fun hunt to go on.

Blue Mounds State Park campground is located on tree-lined paved roads tucked in between a prairie and farmers' fields. It's quite peaceful and relaxing, especially with most sites unoccupied during the week. While the sites don't offer a ton of privacy, they are well-spaced for the most part and some of the loops have foliage behind the sites so you have a bit of a buffer there.

The loop we were in (on site 28) has a relatively new bathroom and shower house that is very nice. The other loop has the older-style bathroom and shower house that looked clean but is showing its age.

Even though you probably could rely on your cell phones here due to good and great signals (Verizon and T-Mobile respectively), the campground also offers wifi that is actually quite good. The transmitter for our loop is on the bathroom building and we have been able to work, including video calls, all week without any issues.

The sites themselves have gravel pads and decent-sized grassy areas to set up screen tents, etc.

The park itself offers several things to do, including watching for the protected bison herd out on the prairie, as well as hiking and biking trails that can lead you to a historic quartzite quarry and some great vistas of the area around you. At night, it's nice and dark so you can see a lot of stars -- if you walk a short way down one of the trails from the campground you can even see the Milky Way.

If we are in this area again, Blue Mounds would certainly be a place where we would check for openings.

This is a county park with state-park type amenities. Not a lot of privacy because neighbors are pretty close, but it was quiet for a good night's sleep.

Paved roads, gravel sites, nice and level overall. Bathroom facilities appear new and are well-maintained. They also have a dish-washing station and high-pressure air hose available.

Sites have 50/30/20 amps. No water on sites but spigots located throughout the park. Dump station right at the entrance but there's plenty of room to maneuver around there. Could get congested if busy.

Some sites are quite large; saw plenty of bigger rigs here. Site 17 is a smaller one but worked great for our Class B. All sites have an aluminum picnic table and a fire ring.

Cell service was decent for T-Mobile and Verizon.

The campground is adjacent to a large multi-use trail system, which would be great if you were here for a few days. One path even takes you downtown in just 4 miles.

Price is a bit high due to $10 registration fee on top of $28 site fee. But would stay here again for an overnight or two if in the area.

This is a good-sized campground with loops on either side of the road. None of the sites offer much privacy and in the busy season you can feel pretty packed in. But the location is awesome due to its proximity to the Silver Lake Off Road Vehicle Area, Lake Michigan, Silver Lake and the Little Sable Point Lighthouse.

If you are into off-roading across sand dunes, this is the park to stay at, although this isn't by any means a quiet place to getaway. In addition to the dunes, which are available to off-road vehicles and pedestrians to enjoy, there's another part of the park that has a cool lighthouse from 1874 and there are some nice views all around the park.

Cell service was decent on Verizon but non-existent for a Google Fi phone (which uses Spring and T-Mobile towers).

Make sure you check your rig size against the site you are planning gon reserving as many sites have odd shapes or require some maneuvering due to the placement of trees and fire pits. Also, be aware that the road through the campground is quite narrow so you'll need to take your time and, if at all possible, arrive when you still have daylight available to see everything.

Note that 20 and 30 amp is available at all sites, but you often are sharing a power pole with several other sites.

Bathrooms were in good shape and offer unisex shower stalls outside the restrooms, which is always nice.

This park has a ton of camping available, particularly if you don't need electricity and have a smaller rig because then you can get into more of the campground loops. (There is electricity here, but there are many more sites without.)

The sites in the Old Logging Campground were close together but many had vegetation between them offering some privacy. Site 207 was especially tucked in but it's a tight spot, so probably best for a van or tent.

The park itself has a lot to offer being right on the St. Croix River, plus there are hiking trails, a paved bike path, a fire tower you can climb, an old CCC camp area you can tour, and more. Also, canoe and kayak rentals are available. And this is all within the state park boundary since, at 34,000 acres, the park is the largest in the Minnesota state park system.

Some of the loops have old bathhouses that desperately need to be replaced, but they are in the process of doing so, which means some loops have great new bathrooms and showers. (If you stay in the upper 200s, sites, you'll have one of these new bathrooms right away, but more are being built.)

Cell service was incredibly spotty on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Depending on where you're at, you'll get a low signal, but often it was only enough for texting -- don't think about using the web or social media or getting any work done while you're here.

Overall, we enjoyed our weekend at this park and would come back for another getaway if we had the chance and it wasn't a workday.

(North Campground) This campground can fill up and feel busy, but the sites are generally large enough that you don't feel packed in too tightly. I like the way they left some stands of trees as a buffer between sets of loops as it means you can end up against trees in some sites (such as 161) even though you're technically in the middle of the campground. The campground has nice bathroom facilities with separate shower rooms. They also are laid out well within the loops so that if one is closed for cleaning there's another one a short walk away.

Verizon cell service was decent enough that we could get work done and at the end of the workday, you can take just a short walk to the campground beach and enjoy searching for cool rocks on the Lake Huron shoreline. The day-use area is quite a bit down the road so you would have to drive there or take a good bike ride. But the benefit is that there is a large, sandy beach at the day-use area.