## Overview

 Platte River Campground is located in the southern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. This year-round facility is one of the most popular campgrounds in the park. It is within walking distance of the Platte River and a short walk or drive away from the Lake Michigan shore. Hikers can access many of the area\'s day use and backpacking trails just north of the campground.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

 Campers can hike, canoe, kayak and fish on the river or the lake. There are canoe rentals at nearby Platte River Point, where the river meets the lake (the point also has beach access for those wishing to drive there). The Platte Plains trail system boasts more than 25 miles (40 km) of trails, some of which can be accessed a short walk away from the campground. Trails to the primitive White Pine backcountry campground are also close by. 
## Facilities

 This facility is well-maintained, well-organized and offers a wide variety of sites, including back-in and pull-through sites with electric hookups for RVs, non-electric sites, walk-to sites, group sites (hike-in, tent-only) and a nearby backcountry campground. Each site has a campfire ring and picnic table. Each loop has restrooms with flush toilets and sinks. Hot showers are also available. The group sites allow no more than 25 people per site; pets and RVs are not permitted in them.
## Natural Features

 The campground lies in a wooded area within walking distance of the Platte River and less than two miles (3.2 km) away from the beaches of Lake Michigan. Although the lakeshore is long and narrow, it has northern hardwood and conifer forests, abandoned farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs and splendid examples of a glacially formed landscape.The most prominent features in the park, and those for which it is named, are the perched sand dunes above Lake Michigan. The overlooks at Sleeping Bear, Empire and Pyramid Point bluffs are about 400 feet (122 m) above the lake. With 65 miles (105 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams, the park is wonderfully water-oriented. 
## contact\_info

 For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.
## Charges &amp; Cancellations

Platte River Campground — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

We loved camping here! We were so excited to explore the sleeping bear area and this is on the southern end and 40 minutes from Traverse City. You are near the Platte River which is perfect for kayaking and tubing! The campgrounds were clean and we were near a bath house that was nicely updated. There is a RR grade trail that leads to the beach but I recommend dribing up. Even after apply a ton of bug spray we felt like we were getting eaten alive on the trail.

Near Platte River tubing and Sleeping Bear Dunes!

Very nice campground, great location to the Lakeshore and dunes.  Bathrooms are clean and the sites are not extremely on top of each other. 

Beautiful 

We stayed at a walk-in site at the Platte River campground in June.  It was beautiful and very private.  The ranger station was nearby and the rangers are some of the nicest I've ever encountered.  The bathrooms were flush toilets with hot showers, and clean but not super nice. I kept my Sandles on.  Metal fire pits in the campsites. We enjoyed the park very much, including the historical tours, dune climbs and early morning trips to the beach. We made our reservation 6 months ahead as this campground is usually booked all Summer. 

Excellent Walk-in sites for tent camping

Every year for Memorial Day weekend we travel to the Traverse City area for camping. This year we chose the Platte River Campground in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. The campground is huge and very spread out! There are trees on every campsite so you really have that camping feel. We arrived late so there was no one at the office; however, there was a note on the door to check in the next day before 10 am. The next morning, we woke up to a tag on our vehicle to be sure to register. We drove to the office on our way to explore the area and were able to check in. My uncle was with us and Joy at the front desk asked if he was over the age of 62, because he is, she told him about the senior lifetime pass. The national park pass is $15 for seven days or $30 for the year, but if you are over the age of 62, you can purchase a lifetime membership for only $10!!! She said the fee is going up to $80 so be sure to get your lifetime pass soon if you are considering a national park camping spot.

The campground has four loops and also a group camping part. The loops are big and some sites are close together. The pull through sites are a U-shaped paved driveway. Some pull through sites are VERY small so be careful when you book your reservation. There are to be no bikes on the trails, except for one trail that leads you to Peterson Road, which goes to Lake Michigan. We overheard our neighbors say that their son was warned NOT to ride on any other place except for the paved road in the park. He was riding on the gravel next to the road.

Some things I want to point out about this campground will come next. We never saw any park rangers, but we had a warning on our windshield because we did not put our registration tag on our pole. My uncle received a warning because his truck tire was two inches on the “vegetation”, which was really the gravel next to the paved pad. I will post a picture of the “warning”. Please note the other reasons for warnings. There is also a fine of $125 if you leave food out or your fire unattended. Be mindful of these strict rules. We did not see any park rangers throughout our stay, but they usually came around early in the morning. They are very strict about where you can put a tent, be sure to put them on the squared off level spot at each site. When you book, make sure you look at the pictures the website gives because some flat pads are a distance from the paved pad for your car/RV and some were up hill! The picnic tables are BOLTED to the a ground rope so you cannot move them. I would recommend bringing an awning type tent to put over the picnic table.

DO NOT LEAVE FOOD OUT!! There was a bear spotted in the group area during our stay. Bring bug spray! The ticks are bad this year and we heard several people in the park talking about having a tick on them.

If you like to hike, bring your hiking shoes and a walking stick! The trails are very nice. The trail from Loop 1 is 1.2 miles to Lake Michigan. If you like to walk, be sure to walk out there. The end is complete sand so be prepared to work hard!

The bathhouses were always clean and I only had to wait for a few minutes for a shower. The water was very hot and no complaints there. There is a room in the bathhouse that is for washing dishes. This made it very convenient and I was very impressed with that.

We will definitely be going back to this campground. It was awesome being in the woods and having the lake within a few miles of us. There is also a spot to launch your canoe/kayak right at the entrance of the park.

Reservations are extremely hard to get for this park. If you want a weekend campsite, you must book six months in advance! Ever since Good Morning America put the spotlight on Sleeping Bear Dunes, it has been extremely busy! I think that many people (including us) did not know that this campground has modern sites, therefore it wasn’t as busy in the past.

Hidden Gem!

**Campground Review:** Having been to over 45 national park campgrounds now, Platte River Campground is one of our new favorites! Wow, what a beauty!  This large and beautifully wooded campground has spacious sites, a paved road throughout the campground, extremely clean bathrooms and free showers, and multiple lakes and rivers which lead to the greater Lake Michigan. Most sites have electricity (which is quite rare for national park campgrounds), all have picnic tables and fire rings, and water spigots are scattered throughout the campground. It can accommodate everything from tents to very large RV’s. There is even a unique firewood vending truck which allows you to get wood whenever you want it!  There are multiple boat ramps/put-ins for canoes, tubes, kayaks, and small fishing boats all along the Platte River and a larger boat ramp at the river’s entrance to Lake Michigan. The gorgeous day use area (where the larger boat ramp is located) is filled with picnic tables, benches, BBQ grills, and a bathroom and changing area, as well as canoe rentals and a shuttle service. In addition to camping and paddling, there are nearby hiking trails, an excellent bike path, and the famous Sleeping Bear Dunes are a short drive away.

**Video:** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=infqnx2ju24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=infqnx2ju24)

**Product Review:** As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I was able to test the Explorer 10L Dry Bag and E-Merse R/S Go Pack from Seattle Sports while camping and paddling at the Platte River campground in Michigan. We used these dry bags while paddling on the Platte River and Lake Michigan. 

**_What I like most about these bags:_**

1\. The material is heavy and all seams are sealed, both bags should live up to their water-resistant claims.

2. Each bag has comfortable and convenient carrying straps, which accommodate many uses, probably the best use for each will be for stand-up paddle boarding.

3. The Go-Pack has a see -through vinyl window which helps identify what is where.

**_Some concerns about these bags:_**

1. Durability might be an issue with the Go-pack, it is just a tad less beefy, so I would not put keys or utensils inside.

2. The carrying straps could also become a hindrance when packing in a boat hatch or raft, which typically prefer dry-bags without excess straps.

﻿

**Product Video:** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1NvDeLATU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1NvDeLATU)

**Product Links:** 

Explorer Dry Bag: [http://www.seattlesportsco.com/blizz-explorer.html](http://www.seattlesportsco.com/blizz-explorer.html)

E-Merse R/S Go Pack: [http://www.seattlesportsco.com/emerse-rs-gopack.html](http://www.seattlesportsco.com/emerse-rs-gopack.html)

Ranger Review: Seattle Sports Explorer 10L Dry Bag & E-Merse R/S Go Pack at Platte River Campground

I stayed here two nights and loved it. The fee is $16 a night and the campsites are nice and spacious. This campground is only 20 min drive to the lakeshore and sits on the beautiful Platte River. There are a few trails along the river. I would for sure go back to this campground!

Beautiful campground! 

I had never been to Sleeping Bear Dunes before and I choose this campground based solely off of online choices. Also it was further south so I had less driving to catch the ferry back to WI the next morning.

I was very surprised at the well set up campsites and roads into the campground. Staff was very friendly, but this was also the beginning of the season, so the place wasn't busy either.

I was very surprised to find there are free showers available and they were actually warm! The site itself was moderately large. I could have fit 2 4 person tents comfortably or 3 smaller tents. Maybe more if you don't use the fire ring. The site was also fairly isolated from neighboring sites, I could hear other people but not see them for the most part.

There is also a trail that leads to Lake Michigan at one of the campground that was very nice.

Sleeping Bear Dunes campground

This campground has excellent, spacious sites. We were a mile walk to the lake and even less to the River where salmon were swimming upstream as we canoed. The location of the campground to the Dunes and small towns were easily navigated. This was a very special area and this campground was an excellent, private host for it all.

My favorite by far

The campround is wonderful. Most sites are very large, shaded, private and have level areas for tents or campers. There is a (long) walking trail to the beach, and many areas to hike, fish or tube down a river nearby. My only “complaint” is that once we had children there wasn’t a playground for easy access to entertainment. We can’t wait to get back!

Beautiful area!

Nice campground, well shaded and decently spaced out sites. Not too full even on a holiday weekend! Likely due to the fact there is a beautiful large state park nearby if you need more amenities.

There's also a great little brewery only 2.5 miles away which has a food truck that serves some awesome meals. We made the trip into Traverse City for the Cherry Festival to see the Blue Angels and took Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive which is worth the fee.

Quiet, rustic campground on the river and near a great brewery.

This is a beautiful wooded campground. Spaces are large, clean, and spaced well apart. RV sites are paved and also have enormous level tent pads. There is a fire ring with a grate for cooking. There is ample woods from which you can gather kindling. Firewood must be certified and can be purchased in area. The bathrooms and shower were so clean and roomy. Plus there were outlets in bath, shower, and the camp sink area. There are electric and non electric sites available as well as group sites and walk in sites. You can make reservations six months out but be ready to click reserve at 8:00 am. sharp for the site you want. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore sits on Lake Michigan. The lake is beautiful and accessible in many places The dunes are a challenge to climb. Definitely do that. There are historical places of interest to visit, ferry rides to islands, rivers to tube, kayak or canoe. And there are Michigan cherries to pick if you are there in July! I’d give this campground a A+ rating.

Beautiful campground- part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Lots of campsites 30 to 50 feet away from the roadway offering appropriate privacy. Woods and bushes separating campsites. Shower houses in excellent condition and clean. Pads for tents in place. Plenty of trails and access to waterfront of Lake Michigan.

Take your time and enjoy the dunes.

Pretty isolated from any grocery and convenience stores, fuel. So, plan ahead your meals.

Great spaces for setting up away from the drive-by traffic

This is a great rustic state forest campground. It seems to be easier to get a site here when the neighboring sleeping bear dunes campgrounds are full.

It is first come first serve but we went on a beautiful summer weekend and could still get a site. We brought our kayaks and would recommend bringing two vehicles so you can put in higher up the river, if you try to kayak up the river from this campground to float back down you will feel like you are in an infinity pool, the flow is very strong in this part of the platte river.

If you stay it’s worth the drive 30 minutes north to visit Glen Arbor for the day!

pros

less crowded, sites have large spacing inbetween, great platte river viewing, feels like you are deep in the outdoors camping, $15 site fee is a great price, clean water pumps and vault toilets, 30 minutes from sleeping bear dunes and 15 minutes from the shores of Lake Michigan.

considerations

This campground is for tents and small trailers, it’s rustic so no electric hook up, no hand sanitizer in bathrooms,

Great location to enjoy Platte River and Sleeping Bear Dunes

Very clean with good size sites and good facilities, but the best draw is you're right in the middle of all the Sleeping Bear National Shoreline has to offer!

Well maintained Campground

Stopped for a night on a road trip around Lake Michigan. Campgrounds was clean, and so were the toilets/showers. There were hiking trails close by, but wish they were clearly marked. Was told a black bear visits the campgrounds at least once a week, but is not much a nuisance as long as campers store their food in the car. Easy access to Platte River - kayaked the North branch, which was winding and fast moving. Go when they release the salmon from the hatchery - you feel all the salmon brush against your kayak as they swim upstream!

Large campgrounds close to lots of water

We do a lot of camping all throughout Michigan. We are from Traverse city and this is our go-to campground. We camp on full moon nights and hit the river for night kayaking. We have our favorite site too! 

Always go a few times a year! 

Walk in sites were awesome! Short walk, but definitely felt isolated from civilization. Could see neighbors tents, but no one was on top of each other. Bear vaults shared between 2 spots, which was nice not to have to walk back to the car a million times. Bathrooms were clean, did not use shower but heard good things about it. Little store and burger stand just outside the campground too! Walk to beach was quick and easy and although it was Memorial Day weekend we had the beach to ourselves! 

Walk-in sites

NOTE: The GPS location in this app is incorrect, the actual location is 5685 Lake Michigan Rd, Honor MI.

This is a very nice wooded campground in within the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Park. The sites are wooded and pretty private and provide tree coverage. Bathrooms are nice, but you must pay to use the showers. Campsite isn’t directly on Lake Michigan, but there is a hiking path to the lake.

The real draw of this campsite (which fills up extremely fast, so reserve early) is the Sleeping Bear sand dunes and surrounding areas. When you are consider doing any of the following:
Tubing the Platte River
Hiking The Empire Bluffs Trail
Visiting the Dune Climb
Driving the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
Swimming at any of the beaches in the Empire area

Platte River Campground

This is hands down my absolute favorite spot in Michigan (so far). They have primitive campsites too, if you choose to go that route like we do. Right on Lake Michigan, and you can even see the sleeping bear dunes about 10 miles north of the beach. If you go at the right tone in the fall, you will even see salmon jumping out of Platte River which is really cool! 

Most beautiful park in Michigan

Way more rustic than some of the other social campgrounds but I really loved how we felt like we were out in the woods and not crowded. We didn’t spend a bunch of time at the site as we spent our days kayak the river and hanging out where the river feeds into the lake. We made some great memories while camping here and eagerly await the chance to return. 

We had a blast!

Overall great campground! Beautiful scenery and well kept. Tent sites had plenty of room on them and lots of privacy. Small walk to your site from where you park but that makes it feel a lot more wild and secluded. They provide a lock box to store food in due to bears in the area. Restroom and shower facility by where you park and those are very nice and well kept to! Plenty outdoor activities to do in the surrounding areas. 

One of my favorites

We loved staying here b/c you are near all these cute towns, yet in a remote wilderness spot (Platte River Campground).

  

We were able to take a trail from the campground and go on the trail for the dunes.  Challenging walk!

  

We took a river trip with our own boats, and enjoyed the spectacular surroundings.  The water is crystal clear and you end at the lake.  Epic ending and very picturesque.

  

Crystal clear, beautiful water.  Nice!  The campground itself had some wonderful trails and was great.

Great place to stay near the dunes with water access!  Near cute towns.

Review for Loop 1, Site 102. We tent camped in the electric area due to cooler temps and wanting to have a space heater. It worked out lovely. Our neighbors were quiet and friendly. We were directly across from a water source and the recycling(!!!) and trash bins. They're designed for bears and critters to not be able to get in, which means less stinky. The bathrooms were just a quick walk away. I will say that they were always so nice and empty. 

  

They do have walk-in sites as well as non-electric sites too. They were all sold out when we were there, so prepare accordingly! 

  

One thing we loved about this place: the close access to the beach! There was literally no one out on the beach minus us, so be sure to hike into the beach area from the campground area. It took us an hour or so and that included shell hunting. 

  

The overall location of this campground wasn't the best as you do have to drive quite a bit to get into the heart of the National Lakeshore area, but it wasn't too horrible.

  

Special note for this site: it's right across from the camp hosts, but they were lovely!

Great campground, but not best location

I went camping here with some friends over a weekend and it was absolutely great! The sites were pretty spread and it had an amazing trail to Lake Michigan! Overall super good and would recommend coming here :)

Great campsite for all

I'll be honest that I only scratched the surface of Sleeping Bear Dunes. 

I had planned on doing much more paddling and hiking there, but had a tent shock cord blowout the morning before heading there. 

So I spent that morning tracking down a repair kit and then 3 hours repairing my tent once I arrived. 

Still the beach that was a 1.1 mile walk from the Campground was beautiful and practically empty. 

I also check out Esch Beach on my way, which was also gorgeous. 

Only rule I thought was interesting was not being allowed to was dishes at your site. 

But they did provide a camp sink by the restrooms for communal use!

Overnight Stop For Gear Repair!

I was able to stay at a walk on site, which had a trail attached to it that led directly to the lake. Absolutely incredible being able to watch the sunset while being completely alone on the beach. 

The park is beautiful, with lots of scenic trails. The scenic drive is a must!

Incredible 

We had a site with electric.  The park has potable water available and a dump station.  The wifi at the Ranger's station was out of order at the time we were there.  Our site was nice and level.  We were close to the bathrooms/showers which was real nice.  The showers were clean with good pressure and hot water.  Luckily the mosquitoes were not bad at all inside the campground.  They were awful near the lake unless  there was a breeze than they were fine.  We had no problems at all with any of the rangers or camp host.  The campground is in a great location to explore nearby towns and sites.  I would camp here again.

Very nice campground.  Great location.

Had a great stay at Platte River Campground. Sites are spacious and wooded. 30 and 50 amp service, but no water. Hiking to Lake Michigan, bike trails, Sleeping Bear Dunes just a short drive away. For those with dogs, Esch Beach, at the end of Esch Road, is about 10 minutes by car and dog friendly. The beach where the Platte River met Lake Michigan was a favorite of our kids.

Great Location

The group hike-to site was phenomenal. Enough of a walk so you feel like you’re in nature but not too far. Every G site has a bear box and you can hear the coyotes howling at night. The bathrooms are extremely clean and modern. Individual showers and there’s a plug in the bathroom for hair dryers. It’s close to a beach and the river is fun to kayak down. My only gripe is that I got stranded needing a jump and rangers wouldn’t jump it… so I need get one of those jump battery packs :-) there’s not much around but there is a bit of Verizon service. 

Hike-to camping is a must 

Very nice campground on southern end of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Sites very large and spaced so there is privacy. Wooded with trees so beautiful in fall. Very nice bathrooms and private showers with hot water year round! Great hiking trails. Near Lake Michigan-approx 1.2 mile walk to huge beach. Very quiet although could hear some road noise from loop 1. Fire pits have cooking rack. Highly recommend!!




 Wonderful campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes 

When I went it was first come first serve, it was about 2pm on a Monday and I had no problem finding a spot, but there are a couple dozen other campers here. There was still plenty of room to space out, I didn't have neighbors. Even so, there were lots of trees and the sites are fairly spaced out so I felt I had plenty of privacy. Bathrooms were very clean. There's also a trail that connects the campground to lake Michigan, about a 1.2 mile hike which was a nice little hike even in the rain. Site was $31/night but it has electric, water, flush bathrooms, a utility sink, and showers. I'm already looking forward to going back.

Great Campground

Immaculate modern campground. Clean and spacious facilities, helpful staff.

Modern Bliss

Platt River CG:    Sept 2023
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy.
Overall Rating:  3.5
Price 2023: $18 w senior discount 
Usage during visit: VERY full
Site Privacy:  Most sites do not have lateral privacy 
Site Spacing:  Sites are close 
Site surface:  Blacktop
Reservations:   Yes
Campground Noise:   Not bad
Road Noise:  None 
Through Traffic in campground:    No
Electric Hookup:  Yes
Sewer Hookup:  No
Dump Station:  Yes
Potable Water Available: Yes
Bathroom:  Clean 
Showers:  Yes
Setting:  Adjacent to a deciduous forest. 
Weather:  Hot 
Bugs:   Not bad.  However, biting flies near the sand on Pyramid Tr
Rig size:  There are some large rigs
Sites:   Some of the better ones are represented in pictures provided. 