Brevort Campgrounds

LAKE MICHIGAN CAMPGROUND/ Hiawatha National Forest
(906) 943-7900. www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha. Some sites reservable. (877) 444-6777. www.reserveusa.com
Of 35 rustic campsites (no showers, vault toilets), 16 have direct access to Lake Michigan. Most have lake views, too. There's a nice, sandy beach below the dunes, with sunset views. Good privacy between sites. Some tent sites are between small dunes. Road noise can be heard. Campground host most summers. Very popular — come in midweek for best chance of a site. Consider Foley Creek or Carp River (see "St. Ignace Area Camping" ) as backups. Just 2 miles from Brevoort Lake: warmer swimming, good fishing.

BREVOORT LAKE CAMPGROUND/Hiawatha National Forest
(906) 943-7900. www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha. Some sites reservable: (877) 444-6777. www.reserveusa.com
This extremely popular rustic campground (no electricity, no showers) enjoys two scenic, wooded locations near a prime fishing bay, on a lake managed for good fishing. Boat rentals, groceries, fishing info and charts are at the camp store between the picnic area and campground. On a small peninsula are a good swimming beach and one loop of 50 campsites, 35 with direct water access. A 22-site loop is nearby, near the boat launch. Good privacy between large sites. Campground host. Some flush toilets. On-site dump station ($10, or $5 for campers). The 20-minute interpretive Ridge Trail begins just outside the campground and goes up a sand dune with a Lake Michigan view. The North Country Trail passes neaby; a trail marker is by the campground entrance. Close to Lake Michigan Campground/Picnic area with swimming beach. Generations of campers have created a real sense of camaraderie, akin to a summer resort. To get a spot in summer, reserve ahead, or check with the campground host for tips on who's leaving when. May and September after Labor Day aren't too busy.

LITTLE BREVOORT LAKE CAMPGROUNDS/ Lake Superior State Forest
(906) 477-6048 (field office). Not reservable. www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/
Of these two popular rustic campgrounds, the 20-site north unit fills first. The 12-site south unit, set in rolling hills among hardwoods and some big hemlock, is in some ways nicer. Get in by 6 p.m. Friday, and you'll probably find a spot, except for holiday weekends. Both units have swimming, boating, and fishing (though this small lake is vulnerable to heavy pressure; catch-and-release is advised). Because this is a designated natural area, motors are not allowed on the lake. The lake is an embayment formed during a higher stage of Lake Michigan. Hemlocks some 400 years old grow in the moist back dunes of the old, forested dunes. The diverse terrain means every kind of north country tree grows within this limited area. A one-mile hiking path connects the two campgrounds and takes visitors through this interesting terrain. An ORV trail is nearby, but ORVs are not allowed in the natural area.

DISPERSED CAMPING/Hiawatha National Forest

Of the eight attractive, isolated, quiet individual campsites in the Brevoort Lake area, something is just about always available. Three wooded sites are on the south shore of Brevoort Lake. Five sites, open with river views, are on and near the Carp River. It's a trout stream, off Forest Road 3332, which goes north and south between the two Brevoort lakes. Some campsites are near the Carp's Rock Rapids. Two sites are near Round Lake, where the CCC camp trail is. All these sites are primitive. They have no picnic tables, water, or outhouses, and there's no fee to camp here - no reservation system, either.

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