If you have not been to Petoskey, Michigan you really should make a point to visit this area. We were here two days and fell in love with the town, the surrounding area, and never got tired of beautiful views of Lake Michigan. The park is situated between Petoskey and Harbor Springs – both of which have good restaurants, shopping, marinas (with boat launches as there are none in the state park), and lots of outdoor summer activities. 

This state park is in a great location for biking, hanging out at the beach, hiking, kayaking, swimming, and enjoying all that the upper west side of Michigan has to offer. When you camp here, you are never far from the beach or pretty scenery. Plenty of boardwalks transfer you from the campground over the pristine dunes to the sandy beaches and beautiful blue Lake Michigan waters. Or, you can drive to the beach where volleyball games and water activities are the ideal. 

This campground is super busy in the summer months. Campsites are set in a wooded setting with a mix of 50/30 amp or 30/20 amp in the Tannery Creek section (which has paved sites) and 20 amp in the Dunes section (with sandy/dirt sites). Both sections have pathways that lead to the beach. There are no sewer or water hook-ups at individual sites but there is a dump station and potable water spigots spread throughout the campground.  Each site has a fire pit and picnic table.  This park is great for small RVs or tents. Due to the small length of campsites, narrow roads in the park, and low hanging trees this park is not well-suited for large RVs.  

Just outside of the park is the Little Traverse Wheelway. The Wheelway is a 26-mile paved biking/hiking path that spans from Harbor Springs south to Charleviox. If you don’t have bicycles with you there are plenty of places in town that rent them and will deliver them to your site.  On that note, you can rent watercraft of all types in the area too. For those that like white water kayaking the Bear River is set up for that. 

The park has just a few short trails but if you are looking for more hiking check out the Offield Nature Preserve about five miles north of the park. There are multiple paths that connect so you can make your hike as long or as short as you want. Another fun place to visit is the nearby Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center. They offer free guided tours daily or you are welcome to walk around the grounds on your own. Put some quarters in your pocket and stop at the pond overlook where you can feed the brown and rainbow trout. 

Almost directly across from the park entrance is Freshwater Grill which has delicious fish tacos on Tuesday. In the same shopping area is Toski Sands, a grocery/specialty/liquor store that has much of what you need and Crooked Tree Bakery that has the most wonderful breads. A quarter mile south is the Petoskey Brewing Company that has great burgers and beer.

This area has so much to do and see and this campground is in a perfect location.