Colwell Lake Campground

Positive and Negative, first the negative-This is one of the RARE rustic campgrounds that allow for electrical hookups. That can be a bad thing if you really enjoy the quiet, rustic type of camping. This campground has lots of the inconsiderate, noisy, unruly loud children running and screaming near other campsites, the adults drunk and screaming "wooooo" all night, (the usual RV types of campers). The campground hosts allow this to go on, claiming it's a "family'' type of campground. (In other words, none of the quiet, hipster, -kayaking campers, but instead your neighbors will be power-boating, noisy screaming kids with drunk parents and grandparents blasting Kid Rock and Ted Nugent well past midnight) One idiot was lighting FIREWORKS (which is illegal in any national forest), and still the campground hosts pretended they didn't hear it. That was the negative, now for the positive: Its in a perfect location between Mansitque and Munising which makes day trips and sight seeing very convenient. I loved the little shallow lake for swimming! Great for boating too. You get a nice sunset over the lake. and the sites are very private with lots of trees hiding you. Just bring a pair of earplugs so you can sleep, and pray to god that the drunks in the site next to you remember to put their fire out before going to sleep, and extinguish all cigarette buts so you dont wake up to your tent on fire due to some drunk fool.

What a gorgeous park! We found it serene and peaceful, and a complete delight. Yes, there are a lot of locals who frequent the campground and many do have kids, but we didn't experience anyone unruly or excessively loud. The lake is surrounded by woods and each campsite has access to the water, many with their own private beach, so sound does carry. There's a fishing pier that's perfect for watching the sunset or star gazing. I did both. There's also a small boat ramp at the entrance. Many of the campers brought boats, kayaks, and canoes and beached outside their campsite. A great, sandy swimming beach is perfect for small children because it's very shallow. I enjoyed the two mile hiking trail around the lake. It was wide, well maintained and offered benches every quarter mile or so for viewing wildlife or just collecting your thoughts. The onsite hosts were a great couple who worked hard to keep the campground clean and orderly. There were a lot of campers with dogs . . . we have a Golden Retriever . . . and they all seem to enjoy taking a dip in the lake, as well. All in all, I found this to be a great campground. The few negatives had nothing to do with the park. The bugs were pretty feisty so take some good repellent. And there was no cell signal of any kind. We had to drive to Munising for a signal and groceries which was twenty miles away. But that wasn't so bad because Picture Rocks and the Michigan Dunes are right along Lake Superior. If you're that close, you must go! It's fabulous! Each campsite includes a picnic table, firering, lantern pole, and nice clearing suitable for tents or RVs. The thick wooded area between sites give a nice feel for privacy. There are only five sites with electric, one belongs to the hosts. Since the campground is popular with locals, you should try reserving electric sites early if that's important to your camping experience. There's a dump and centrally located water. We filter our water and I would suggest anyone doing the same if you use the water from the campground pumps. There's also potable water at the dump which seemed to have better clarity. Price is $18 for dry camping, $4 more for electric. S/A Pass accepted.

The campsite was spotless, the pit toilets clean, and the camp host welcoming and efficient. It's a good, central location for touring the Lake Superior seashore, the Seney Wildlife Preserve and everything else in the area. Basically quiet, but the sites on our end of the campgrounds were close to Highway 94 so there was occasional traffic noise. Highly recommended.