Wilderness State Park Campground

We LOVED our spot at Wilderness state park. We were in spot 88 and it's an end spot - so we felt like we had lots of space. We were expecting a back-in spot, but got there before our neighbors and were able to do a pull-thru style set-up which was convenient.

We were super close to the water and the views were breathtaking. This spot was near a big tree surrounded by shrubs - which gave the kids a "fort" that they played in a lot. On the other side of the tree was a large metal slide (the "playground") and a big sandy beach for swimming.

The park is tucked in away from any stores or services - so pick up anything you need before you get close. This distance means it's quiet - no highway noise. And it's up against a Dark Sky park (http://www.midarkskypark.org/) - so it was indeed, dark at night. Great for star watching.

A short drive to Mackinaw City, we drove in one day and took the ferry to Mackinac Island - which we wholeheartedly recommend! This is the perfect campground location if you're looking to do something like that.

I hope we get to visit this state park again - and if I do, I'll try and get spot 88 again!

If you book early enough (6 months) in advance, you can get lakeside spots. Some of these have amazing views over the water, and if you don't look side to side, you can imagine having it all to yourself. Some of the lots are large, some small, the photos on the State's booking site are accurate. We were camped across the lane from the lakeside spots and envied those who booked early. Some beautiful trails nearby, and the beach is sandy, if not warm. (it's Northern Michigan..) 10 miles to Mackinaw City, but a relatively flat bike ride if you have the gear. And by gear I mean tire patching kits! It's rather deserted, with a party store 4 miles away east and a country store 1 mile west. Walk for the doughnuts!

At exactly 8am 6 months prior I booked our lake front site. It was so beautiful, and I'm glad I made the reservation. The campground is crowded, but our site was large and somewhat private. The sunsets were spectacular, as were the stars. You are only about a mile from a Dark Sky area, so the stars are incredible. Just a few miles to catch the Ferry for Mackinac Island, so I highly recommend doing so.

Stayed here quite a few times. Mostly in October, too crowded in summer because of location to Mackinaw City, however a very nice campground great views and close to bike trails and hiking trails. Fire pits not very clean, but bathrooms and showers were. Was told that one of the campgrounds was going to be refurbished. There is 5 campgrounds available. One has full hook-ups, one is walk-up tent sites, and 3 are what you would you would call regular campsites. They have a new dump station that is very nice. 3 lanes and one-way traffic which was convenient.

We stayed here toward the end of August for a few nights. The park was jam packed and a lot of the sites are small and on top of each other but it provides a nostalgic camping experience. We added a third day before we arrived which changed our site number. This was a total upgrade. Site 115 is probably the best in the park. Our neighbors across the loop road asked us how we landed the best site in the park--dumb luck I guess. It's on the corner, so not right on the lake, but it has much more space between the neighboring sites and has a path out to the beach. Check-in was easy and everyone was super friendly and helpful. My mom is originally from Michigan and camped here every summer as a kid. She recommended we go and I'm so glad we listened. I was able to show Bob the house my mom grew up in and where I visited my grandparents as a child on the Indian River and Burt Lake. Wilderness is an easy drive from Mackinaw City for touristy things and to jump a ferry over the Mackinac Island. We did not use the facilities at the campground but the dump station and fresh water station is large allowing many rigs to take care of business at once. All sites in the Lakeshore loops have electric hook-ups. Definitely a great stop for checking out northern Michigan either before or after going into the UP.

I camped here the Thursday before Memorial Day - considering the cool damp weather things were pretty quiet. The drive in along the shoreline is lovely. The sites are fairly close together under the trees so don't expect the privacy many reviewers seem to like to talk about. The May Flies were out in force across the entire Lake Michigan shoreline both here and along Highway 2 on the UP. But while they create a mess on your rig they are harmless. The dump station was really nice as dump stations go. The west loop of the park is still under renovation and should be open sometime this summer. I'm sure it gets crazy busy during warm weather but this particular stay was quite nice. Don't miss the short drive to the Headlands International Dark Sky Park and the McGulpin Point Lighthouse.

It was a long rough drive down Wilderness Park Dr from I-75 beating up my new RV. I had to slow to 25 mph in a 45 mph road. I highly recommend using Cecil Bay Rd to Wilderness Park Rd to get there. It is a 25 min drive via rough roads to get to Mackinaw/ Mackinack areas. Campers were loud and too many per site were allowed. Cars/trucks were too close to roads in campground making turns challenging for bigger RVs. Bike ride down gravel road west was a nice ride through the woods, but the beaches were flooded or inaccessible due to "bird nesting" and high water levels. Site was level and paved and accommodated a big rig easily despite being an under 30 ft site (we bought a bigger rig and could not swap sites). Threaded water spigot was convenient to this site. Dump station was very nice and big. Bathroom/ bathhouses were cleaned every morning at about 7 am. Some people did not keep dogs on leashes and left them outside barking too long.

We walked about 15 miles on various trails to earn the local GPS geocache trail award. Was a great time doing that. The campground spots are tight but manageable if you have a 25 foot long travel trailer. Electric only, which is expected at most state parks (given managing frozen water pipes is impossible). Take advantage of being close to Macanaw City for ferry service and to see the bridge. Had some kind of electric power problems in our showers, so we had to go to a different section for showers. try to take advantage of the DARK SKY designation at this place to watch the stars off the shoreline at night. They also have a nice used book and toys shed if you want to borrow something for yourself or the kids. Neighbors had fires in almost every spot, which of course is choking cold smoke everywhere (people just don't know how to do smokeless hot fires); and being close packed makes it difficult for anyone with asthma or allergies. Good luck, and pray for wind. -- Note as with all state parks you need the RECREATION PASSPORT sticker which is $33 for out of state per year ($9 for single use) and well worth the cost to support state parks.

We lucked out with site K and its beautiful sunset view and landscape that provides privacy from other sites. We wish we had longer to enjoy it! It was just 15 minutes to Macinaw City where we rode the ferry to Macinac Island.

DO NOT COME HERE IN MAY.
It is a beautiful park but we couldn’t breathe without inhaling a bug. They don’t bite but they totally ruined our stay so we left.