## 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

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

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 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

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.

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. 