Crystal Falls Campgrounds

Bewabic State Park
(906) 875-3324. Reservations: dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails, choose Iron County
This beautiful state park on the Fortune chain of four lakes offers swimming, tennis, and good canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Most sites in the 133-site modern campground with electric (currently $20 and $18 a night for 50 amp or 20-30 amp electric) are in a heavily wooded area that enjoys excellent privacy plus electricity and showers. 4 walk-in rustic sites are $14/night. Foot trails and a drive connect the campground with the nearest lake, 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from sites. (The campground used to be near the lake, but the septic system failed.) Bewabic is very busy on summer weekends, and fills on holidays. Summer reservations recommended. The popular lakes may be busy on Saturday but are never crowded; Pentoga Lake is more heavily used. The two-mile trail system goes mostly through mature hardwood forest of maples and birch.

PAINT RIVER HILLS CAMPGROUND
(906) 875-4977; prhcamp.com Reservable
Local people are impressed with this tidy, clean campground on 36 acres on the west side of the Paint River within walking distance to town. The 5 cabins, 10 pull-through, and 18 RV or tent sites don't have river views, but the water down below can be heard everywhere. A half-mile trail loop with named lookouts winds along the rocky riverside bluffs and then descends down by the river. There an improved path goes through the very large, dark and mysterious cedars and hardwoods. For generations of children, this has been "the enchanted forest," and the general public still enjoys access to this trail. Many kinds of wildlife are seen here, including turkeys and "town deer," who come here to rest and to eat apples from old trees.
The heated, well insulated 12' x 12' log cabins (made with area logs) have porches. They are in a semi-circle around the bath and shower house. These are sleeping cabins— no kitchens, bathrooms, or linens. Each sleeps up to 4 in a double bed and a twin bunk. Nightly rentals are currently $38-$40. Owner Mike Casanova has taken great pains with details. Of the RV sites, 4 pull-through sites (currently $22/night) have sewer, water, and 50 amp service. Six pull-through sites ($20) have 30 amp service. The 18 RV or tent sites ($15 for tents, $20 for RVs) are in shady areas, well separated by landscape buffers. Excellent access to RV trails.

RUNKLE PARK AND CAMPGROUND
(906) 875-3051
The 57 campsites at this pretty lakeside park from the 1920s have electricity, shade, water hookups, and showers, but no privacy buffers. (See "points of interest" for Runkle Park.) There are tennis courts and ball diamonds. Walking distance to Crystal Falls, golf.

Primitive camping at
PEAVY POND and the MICHIGAMME RESERVOIR/
(906) 779-2479
Wisconsin Electric Power (now "We Energies") owns 13 hydroelectric dams on the Menominee River watershed in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. It also owns 40,000 acres of surrounding recreational land, which the company calls "Wilderness Shores." These reservoirs are its two biggest, on the Michigamme River less than ten miles from Crystal Falls. They have long, irregular shorelines of many inlets and peninsulas. The long Michigamme Reservoir is northeast of town. Peavy Pond is to the southeast. There are also campsites along the Brule River.
Fishing is the big attraction, for smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, and panfish. Eagles, osprey, and other raptors prey on the fish. Most of the land is open to hunting, with deer and grouse the main attractions.
"We Energies" has voluntarily developed small, primitive campgrounds on so-called "project lands" around dams that are licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. These lands are required to be open to public access, with boat launches provided. See "Camping" for Crystal Falls.

GLIDDEN LAKE CAMPGROUND/COPPER COUNTRY STATE FOREST
(906) 353-6651
A beach and boat launch are near the 23-site rustic campground (no electricity or showers, vault toilets) at Glidden Lake. A 10-mile hiking/ski path starts here. This is just a mile east of the Michigamme River, near Peavy Pond and its good walleye fishing.