St. Ignace Campgrounds

STRAITS STATE PARK
Park office: (906) 643-8620. Reserv.: (800) 44-PARKS, michigan.gov/straits
The 52-acre park is just east of the Mackinac Bridge approach, and near busy U.S. 2 as well. The park overlook near the picnic area is a good place to a view the bridge and Straits. Its two big campgrounds are used mainly for short stays by people visiting Mackinac Island. The upper campground, better for campers with big rigs, has about 150 large, open, grassy sites (no bridge views). The lower campground, with about 125 sites, is in a more natural area of cedar and birch, dense enough to provide privacy and mask some of the highway noise. Some sites here have Straits views. Lower loops are a close walk to the beach, where campers like to come at dusk to watch the changing evening sky and see the colored lights come on that outline the great bridge. Roomy lakeside sites ($20/night) have no electricity. All other sites do.
   Campsites fill most nights in July and most of August, but they turn over frequently, too. Because 90% of the sites are reservable, from mid-June thru Labor Day, campers without reservations should arrive in the early afternoon to have a good chance of a spot.

CASTLE ROCK MACKINAC TRAIL CAMPGROUND
(800) 333-8754 or (906) 643-9222. Winter (800) 882-7122.
This large modern campground with showers, nestled amongst the cedars between I-75 and Lake Huron's sandy shore, has many kinds of campsites, from 20 and 30 amp sites with water and sewer for pull -thru rigs ($30/night) to "primitive" sites for tents and self-contained RVs (about $22/night). The trees and the neighboring national forest land create a natural feeling. The 2,000' of lakefront is on a sandy bay. It faces east, making for beautiful moonrises at some times in the month—more poetic in a way than the more publicized sunsets. Currently, low water levels make the beach less than ideal, except for the part where sand has been brought in for a swimming beach. There are swings, soccer and volleyball, and a playhouse. The casino and ferries run shuttles here. Rates include up to 7 related people per site. Sites near the beach are a little more.

CARP RIVER CAMPGROUND/Hiawatha National Forest
(906) 643-7900. fs.usda.gov/hiawatha.Reserv: (877) 444-6777; recreation.gov/campground
This scenic National Forest campground, quiet except for highway noise, is a boon to last-minute campers. It has been downsized. 31 rustic sites under big trees are in one loop on the bluff above the Carp River. (It's designated "wild and scenic" and a second-class trout stream.) See Point of Interest about canoeing here. Stairs go down to the river. Anglers walk along the stream here, seeking pools where trout may be hiding. There's a campground host some summers. The campground fills only on Car Show Weekend and some holiday weekends.

FOLEY CREEK CAMPGROUND/Hiawatha National Forest
(906) 643-7900. fs.usda.gov/hiawatha Reserv: (877) 444-6777; recreation.gov/campground
The Lake Huron beach here is sandy and secluded, a mile from the campground via the Horseshoe Bay Wilderness Trail, which goes through a fascinating small wilderness area. It's all part of the Hiawatha National Forest. The distance to the beach has kept the 54-site rustic campground (vault toilets, no showers) from being full, except for July 4 and possibly Car Show weekend. The campground, nestled among large white pines, is shady, quite private, and convenient to St. Ignace and area attractions. A campground host is usually here in summer.

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