Michigan U.P. - Montana Owners Club

GordonR · 09-11-2004, 06:12 AM

Just a quick update from the public library in Sault Ste Marie. Two U.P. State Park recommendations:

Straits State Park, St Ignace. We stayed three nights for the bridge walk over Labor Day. We were very fortunate to get in to the last remaining pull through. Site 124 was big enough for us with all slides and awning. There are several other possibilities including most of the pull throughs. Some of them would be tight for slides due to tree placement. Sites were definitely not crowded together.

Brimley State Park, Brimley. We're spending our last of five nights there tonight. There are many sites which will work. We again were very lucky in getting site 55 which is an old boat launch so it's plenty large. The launch pad is long gone - we wouldn't have known it other than the ranger stopping by to chat. If the wind is off the lake, this is a bit of a windy site. The site has a view of the lake and the passing ships.

Sites at both parks are electric only. Water fill and dump stations are available.

Gordon

toolmanroy · 09-11-2004, 07:48 AM

MANY years ago when we lived in Indiana we made the trip up there and went through the locks. We camped in a trucker camper. Michigan is a beautiful state and September is a great month to visit, though the year we went it was really cold!

CountryGuy · 09-11-2004, 02:40 PM

The majority of our Michigan State Parks are electric only, water and dump stations nearby. There are a VERY few campsites with 50 AMPs, only one campground that I have heard of with that.

You picked two of our best to stay in Gordon!

Many of the state parks have online site and campground layouts available. They will tell you the size of the lots, etc. Really helps with these big rigs we got!

Northstar · 09-11-2004, 07:28 PM

Wonderful posting. Nice to know the best places to camp. Happyrving.....

Gene Chaltry · 09-12-2004, 04:10 AM

Wells State Park in upper Michigan on M35 along the bay of Green Bay, is shutting down this Monday 9/13 to put in 30 & 50 Amp service. Thought everyone would like to know.

Just148 · 09-12-2004, 05:23 AM

My understanding is that a lot of Michigan parks are get 50amps and wireless internet. Hope this is true. Up north cell phones has no singles.

CountryGuy · 09-12-2004, 06:46 AM

Wendell,

I have seen a few 50 amps, but never a wireless. Somehow, I don't get it, they can give us wireless, but cannot give us water to the sites??

From what the staff at Yankee Springs Rec area tells me, they are on spending freezes, last year they were too. Last year it was so bad, that if they ran out of gas to cut the parks, then they could not cut. This year, I was told that they could spend $$ only if safety issues were involved, that being safety of the campers.

That told, we go to the state parks when we want to camp, NOT all the time, but if the park is where we want to be, then we camp there. I was told at one time that the parks were told to become self sufficient, or "money making". Not sure how true that is, but does concern me for so many reasons, I won't even start that discussion.

The state parks do have satellite internet, so that they can download the reservations from the company that handles that situation, which I understand, is NOT a Michigan company. Another discussion there, that I won't elaberate on!

But, wireless would be FAB!!

Just148 · 09-12-2004, 03:32 PM

It was something I read and I spoke with someone at one of the camp sites I think west branch about the 50 amps.

GordonR · 09-19-2004, 10:29 AM

We've been home just a couple hours and I'm taking a break from unpacking. We did have 50 Amp service available at Sterling State Park in Monroe. However, the entire campground is new. Straits SP has been closed for renovation all year. Just opened in late August. I don't recall 50 Amp being available. Country Guy - I agree that those two (Straits and Brimley) are among the best. Very high on the list though is McLain SP just NW of Hancock. The sunsets across Lake Superior are really nice. I've got to finish unpacking, but will post more info on parks we used - including a couple we won't be going back to - in the next day or two.
Gordon

CountryGuy · 09-19-2004, 12:28 PM

GordonR

I want to hear about Sterling, all the good and bad. Yes, I can see a 50 Amp there, as they just built that campground in the last couple of years. When the old campground was open, we went there at least one time a year, have not been since the new campground opened. Did you blow away, were the winds strong?? Were you cold, even in warm weather?? We are very curious about your take on that campground!

Another couple of favs of ours in Michigan: Gun Lake Campground at Yankee Springs Rec area, near Hastings and Grand Rapids, no 50 Amps, and plenty of dirt (well used campground, never get a change to grow grass), but the lake is FAB!! Portage Campground near Grass Lake, Waterloo Rec area, have to see this one in the fall when there is full color, it is great!

Have others we use that are nice, but not as nice as these>G>G> Oh, Hastings is newer and Think they have some 50 Amps there (not sure I have the name of that one, only stayed there one time)

Someday, I would like to try the one near Paradise for winter camping at the Taquamanen Falls. They are so spectacular in the winter, breathtaking!! Can't think of the name of that one either

GordonR · 09-22-2004, 03:55 PM

Al & Carol -

Although I'm originally from Port Huron, the vast majority of our Michigan time is spent in the U.P. (We lived in the Soo when we were married.) We've done most of our camping in more rustic environments; mostly State Forest campgrounds. However, that's pretty limited now because we've graduated to the 3400RL. I think we stayed for a couple of nights at Gun Lake a couple years ago, but never at Portage. We'll have to give it a try next trip north. I don't have much that hasn't been said above on Sterling. We were only there two nights so we could visit family in Toledo and get a slight head start to Straits. (That paid off; we got the last site big enough for us.)

The state park near TQ Falls is Tahquamenon Falls State Park. It IS a great place. Carol and I spent the day there the day I proposed to her... just short of 40 years ago. I don't know how late they're open for camping in the fall. I'd suggest checking on the DNR web site.

I'm going to put the Sterling info in as a new topic since it isn't in the U.P. I'll also put in a plug for Michigamee Shores in the campgrounds area. (I'll also hit one CG in Wisconsin and one in Illinois that we won't be going back to.)

Hopefully, we'll get to a point soon where it won't take us two days to get to our favorite part of the world.

Gordon

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