Map showing campground location near Glen Arbor, Michigan

Camper submitted image from South Manitou Island Group

South Manitou Island Group

Accessible only by ferry and foot, South Manitou Island Group sits within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, requiring campers to boat in from the mainland and hike to their sites. The island features three distinct camping areas scattered across forested and open terrain, with sites positioned both along Lake Michigan's shoreline and inland among the trees.

Most campers choose from sites at Bay Campground, located closest to the ferry dock at roughly half a mile, or venture further to Weather Station Campground. "Water is about a mile out so that is a hike," notes Leah M., highlighting the island's backcountry nature. Sites vary significantly in privacy and lake access, with some offering direct trails to the beach while others sit tucked into the forest canopy. The terrain includes both sandy areas and rocky shoreline sections.

Fire rings provide evening warmth, and vault toilets serve each camping area. Drinking water requires either hiking to designated sources or treating Lake Michigan water. The island's hiking trails connect campers to a lighthouse, shipwreck sites, and old-growth cedar forests. "Most hiking trails are full shade," campers report, though mosquitoes can be heavy during summer months.

Pack all gear and food for the duration of your stay, as no supplies are available on the island. Consider bringing water treatment tablets to reduce trips to distant water sources.

Description

Overview

South Manitou Group Campground is a tent-only backcountry facility on South Manitou Island in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. Campers must take a 1.5-hour Manitou Island Transit Ferry trip or boat ride to reach it, and must backpack their gear into the campground from the dock. **Booking for individual sites on South Manitou Island are made on a first come/first served basis directly through Manitou Island Transit .**This facility is comprised of three reservable group sites at Bay Campground and three others at Weather Station Campground. Each site is open to groups of nine to 20 people only. Smaller parties must plan to occupy multiple first-come, first-served individual sites at Popple, Bay or Weather Station Campgrounds on the island. Bay is the closest campground to the dock (less than a mile/1.6 km) and a short walk from the beach. Weather Station overlooks Lake Michigan from the bluffs on the south side of the island; the hike from the ferry is about 1.3 miles (2 km). If group sites are full, your group may be able to split up into multiple individual campsites. Be sure to book reservations on the Manitou Island Transit website or call (231) 256-9061 for transportation to the island. Or contact Sleeping Bear Dunes for more information at (231) 326-4700 ext 5010.Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25 to 32 C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10 to 25 C) at night. Winters are cold, with daytime highs from 20 to 30 F (-7 to -1 C) and lows in the 10s and 20s F (-12 to -7 C). Snow is usually on the ground from late November through March.

Recreation

There is no shortage of activities on South Manitou Island. Visitors can hike around the 10-mile perimeter of the island via pebble beaches, take a tour of the South Manitou Island Lighthouse during summer months, view the 1960 shipwreck of the Francisco Morazanon or go on a motorized tour to learn the history of the island. Visitors can also hike day-long excursions to unique sand dune formations and old growth cedar forests. Both campgrounds have beach access where campers can beachcomb and swim; group sites are closer to the beach at Bay Campground than at Weather Station.

Facilities

Water is only available in the Village area. Group campsites are secluded and set apart from one another. Each site has a fire pit for open fires (firewood must be purchased or collected in the park). Wooden pit toilets are provided, however campers must bring their own toilet paper.

Natural Features

South Manitou Island is part of an island chain in Lake Michigan that extends north to the Straits of Mackinac. The island consists of a ridge of tilted layers of limestone, buried under a blanket of glacial debris. It features unique sand dune formations, 10 miles of pebble beaches and a grove of old growth white cedars that date back over 500 years. The campgrounds lie on sandy soils among younger forests.

Contact Info

For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.

Fee Info

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore charges an entrance fee for each vehicle (apart from camping fees). You may pay the entrance fee upon arrival at a staffed location or purchase in advance. The park also honors America the Beautiful-the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes* (also known as an interagency pass, e.g., Senior, 4th Grade, Military, etc.), For more information visit the park's Fees & Passes web page._NOTE: Effective March 1, 2023, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore only accepts card payment (no cash or checks)._*Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore does not honor the Michigan Recreation Passport which only covers entrance fees for Michigan State Parks.

Check Availability Suggest an Edit

Warning 1 Alert is In Effect

There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!

South Manitou Island group sites will be closed due to construction in 2026.

RV Road Trip Guides

The Great Northern Road Trip

Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth: 4 Day Road Trip

Build Your Trip

Plan a TripAdd

Location

Public Campground

South Manitou Island Group is located in Michigan

Directions

From Traverse City, Michigan, take M-22 to Sutton's Bay. Go west on M-204 from Sutton's Bay towards Leland. Turn north at the junction of M-22 and M-204 to Leland. Take the Manitou Island Transit ferry from Leland to South Manitou Island.

Address

SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE 9922 FRONT STREET
Empire, MI 49630

Coordinates

45.0124639 N
86.0947 W

Open in Google Maps

Connectivity

T-Mobile
No Coverage
VerizonLTE
Some Coverage
AT&T
No Coverage

Is South Manitou Island Group sold out?

Quickly grab cancellations!

Learn More

Connectivity

T-Mobile
No Coverage
VerizonLTE
Some Coverage
AT&T
No Coverage

Access

Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Site Types

Tent Sites
Group

Features

For Campers

Trash
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Drinking Water
Toilets
Alcohol
Fires

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Make reservation

Drive Time

32 min from Traverse City, MI
2 hrs 39 min from Muskegon, MI
4 hrs 54 min from Sheboygan, WI
5 hrs 6 min from Green Bay, WI

Add Review

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

5.0

out of 5

8 Reviews

Guests commonly noted the spectacular lakefront sites with cliff views and beach access across three distinct campgrounds. Visitors repeatedly highlighted the secluded backcountry setting, though water requires hiking or treatment and bugs can be heavy.

Jason H.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 28, 2024

Popple Campground

Stayed at site 3. It was a relatively easy hike until you hit a hilly spot towards the campground. Mid July was very buggy.

Site 3 has easy access to an overlook which we made use of for photos of a storm that rolled in over North Manitou Island, our original destination. There was one vault toilet at the opposite end of the campground.

Like at Weatherstation, it was easy enough to get down to the beach for swimming and refilling our Grayls but to get back up was a bit of a challenge that grew old after a few trips.

Our last night, we stayed at the Bay campground which was nice. Fire rings are available and getting to and from the water was much easier. I'd recommend the Bay for people who want a more leisurely experience and one of the other campgrounds if you want to get some miles and get more rustic.

SitePopple Site 3, Bay sites 12 and 13

Month of VisitJuly

(14) View All

Leah M.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 19, 2024

Love No Electric Camping

This was such a great trip. We were able to come over on a ferry, which took about an hour and then hike in after a trailer dropped us off. Water is about a mile out so that is a hike. After I bought water pills, so I will be more prepared next time. Friends had filter bags so that was ok. Great island for the warmer months. First night we we didn’t have neighbors second night we did, site was about 40 yards from ours. There was pit toilet right by our site I was surprised it was even there and it was nice.

Sitegroup site for 6

Month of VisitJuly

(9) View All

R K.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 30, 2018

Peaceful isolation

Sailed tonSouth Manitou from Glen Arbor. Some group camping.

Sara G.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 16, 2018

Rustic and peaceful

Don’t forget the bug spray

Month of VisitJune

Annette B.

Guide

Reviewed May. 30, 2018

Peaceful, isolated

The only way to reach South Manitou Island is to take a ferry over to the island. You must pack in anything you will need and pack out all of your trash. I love to go camping for extended periods of time. My four year old son and I took the ferry to South Manitou Island and had planned to stay for a few days. We had numerous people gift us food they had packed over to the island and did not want to pack out. We ended up extending our trip by a couple days. There are numerous fun day hikes to do on the island. You can hike to see the wreck of the Corazon, the cedar forest or the old homestead farms. We ate sweet plums that were ripe from one of the old trees on one of the farms. We camped at the Weather Station Campground and swam daily.

SiteWeather Station Campground

Month of VisitJuly

Amy S.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 20, 2018

Beautiful

I stayed at the campsite nearest to where the ferry drops you off. There were several sites to choose from, and we were able to snag a spot with a small trail to Lake Michigan. There was a fire pit with a grill, and an out house style bathroom a short walk away. We hung our food to keep the chipmunks out of it- they did chew on my sunglasses case that I left out!

Hiking trails on the island are well marked, and fairly easy. I would recommend staying 2 nights if you want to see the whole island, though. With the ferry schedule, you wouldn't have time to see everything. I'd also recommend bringing more food than you think you need, in case the weather turns and the ferry can't pick you up on the day planned.

Month of VisitAugust

Nona A.

Ranger

Reviewed May. 10, 2017

Awesome for those who love to camp and hike

South Manitou island is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake shore. The island does have drinking water but you have to hike from your sites ot get it our you can get water from Lake Michigan and make it drinkable. There is no electricity at any of the camp sites, there is a charger station at the docks you can use. There is a Ranger station and a small museum along with old houses that the staff use who stay on the island. The Island has a Light house that has daily tours, a ship wreck and old growth ceder trees you can hike to along with the dunes. There are three campgrounds on the island all sites are first come first pick. Bay Campground is located the closest to the docks about a 1/2 mile walk with your gear, we did not camp here during our trip but we did stop to check out the sites available. These's sites are located along the cove of the island so they are on soft sand felt good to site or lay on without mats. These sites have awesome views of the sun rise in the morning. Popple Campground is the furthest away from the dock, and has the more sever hiking terrain, but is well worth the 7.4 mile round trip hike to get to it. Very secluded, all sites are close to the water's edge. Our site had it's own access trail to the beach, some area's on this side are sandy beach and some is rocky. On the other side of the island and only a 2.7 mile round trip hike from the dock is Weather Station Campground which seems to be the most popular. It is on the South side of the island and has sites on the cliff side and other sites scattered into the forest in the Campground. We were lucky enough to get a site on the cliff over the water and we could watch the waves from inside our tent. Some water side sites have their own trail down to the beach below. There are other trails along the beaches that lead back up to the camp sites. The island has plenty of hiking trails and attractions to see. The only bathroom is located by the docs. Most hiking trails are full shade. There are lots of mosquitoes so be prepared. We can't wait for our next trip to the island.

(22) View All

Daniel S.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 5, 2016

South Manitou Island

There are three campgrounds on South Manitou Island. I have stayed at the Weather Station Campground. The sites are back country camping with little to no amenities. A few sites are secluded while others are close together. A few sites offer amazing views of Lake Michigan atop some small bluffs which make this campground amazing. The area has a pit toilet or you can use nature and bury your waste (follow LNT principles!). The solar driven well is no longer operating so grab your water from Lake Michigan and treat it accordingly. This is a fun back country campground.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the group size limit at South Manitou Group Campground?

The South Manitou Group Campground accommodates larger parties, though specific group size limits aren't precisely defined. The island offers designated group camping areas separate from the individual sites at the other campgrounds. For exact group size limitations and to ensure availability for your party, it's recommended to contact the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore directly when planning your trip.

How do you get to South Manitou Island for group camping?

The only way to reach South Manitou Island is by ferry service from the mainland. The ferry journey takes approximately one hour across Lake Michigan. Some visitors also arrive by private sailboat from Glen Arbor. Upon arrival at the island dock, you may find a trailer service that can transport you part way, but be prepared to hike to your campsite with all your gear. Remember that you must pack in everything you need for your stay and pack out all trash when departing.

Where is South Manitou Group Campground located in Sleeping Bear Dunes?

South Manitou Group Campground is located on South Manitou Island, which is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. The island sits in Lake Michigan and features three distinct campgrounds, with the group camping area being one of them. The Weather Station Campground offers sites with views of Lake Michigan atop small bluffs, while other camping areas are situated closer to where the ferry drops visitors off on the island.

What amenities are available at South Manitou Group Campground?

South Manitou Group Campground offers primitive, backcountry camping with minimal amenities. Sites typically include fire pits with grills. Vault toilets (outhouse style) are available a short walk from campsites. Drinking water can be accessed but requires hiking to collection points—about a mile from some sites—or filtering water from Lake Michigan. There's no electricity on the island, though some locations offer charging stations. Expect no cell service. Bug spray is essential, especially in July when insects can be abundant. Some sites provide direct access to Lake Michigan via small trails.

Keep Exploring