Our first night here there was a tornado watch so we decided to move our gear around and sleep in the car as not to risk any damage to our tent etc. One thing to also keep in mind is that if it is raining almost every site we saw at this campground was extremely muddy! Ours was awful. The next morning when we woke up we hiked the escarpment and summit peak. Due to weather conditions that’s all we were able to hike but the views were incredible and the hikes were fun!
Right on Lake Superior, best sites are often booked early- but the yurts are considered “back country “ even tho East yurt is next to a private parking spot and West is 70 yards away both with direct private access to Lake Superior
We were there over Labor day weekend. Campground was full. We had rain so everything was really muddy. Site are all just in the grass or dirt. I wouldn't recommend camping there with a tent if rain is in the forecast. Sites are close to another but it's nice to have electricity. Setting is beautiful.
Any of the sites along the water (except 1-5) have lovely views of Lake Superior and access to the rocky front there. We did use a public access to get to the water also. The sites are not private and it’s very prone to flooding here. I would ask them which sites usually flood before booking, especially if in a tent. Multiple people had to move sites due to this after a storm.
We had lovely camp hosts that had coffee and crafts for the kids. Bathrooms and showers were great. There is also a boat launch within walking distance.
There isn’t much near this park, but the camp store did have a great selection of necessities. Right outside the park is a local family that makes food and I recommend the broasted chicken!
Holy moly the flies are bad. A screened area to eat and fly swatters are required.
Lake Superior provides you with 3 seasons in one day. There were great hikes and beautiful falls in the park. It’s very isolated. The nearest town is mostly closed up.
The sites were not private but the waves drown out any sound. The black flies are bad in June and July. Go in August.
Gorgeous scenery. Decent size sites. Pretty rock landscape. Boat launch. Close to hiking trails. Paved roads. The closer to the water you are the breezier it gets!
This was our second time to this park and we stayed in one of the Yurts on the edge of the Union Bay Campground. Inside the yurt there are 2 bunk beds and a wood burning stove, along with a small table and chairs I believe. Outside there is a picnic table and fire ring - since we came at the end of the winter season, the campground provided some wood for us upon arrival. There is a food storage container outside as well so no bears try to break into your yurt.
We stayed at the end of April/beginning of May so the campground itself was not open meaning now access to water or restroom facilities which was okay for us. Additionally we were unable to drive all the way up to the yurt like you would in the summer time. We had to park outside the campground and walk across the entire thing with our stuff - we took 2-3 trips as we didn’t plan for this and packed as though we were car camping. The yurts are a great experience and perfect for a weekend away with friends.
The views of superior are amazing and just below the yurt you have access to the shoreline which is great to watch the sunsets on. Porcupine Mountain offers many trails, many of them longer backcountry trails, and some easier ones as well. It is a great park that I always love coming to!
Very pretty and clean. The views of Lake Superior are amazing. Lots of really nice hiking trails, rookie hiker and his lady here. Did the 5 mile summit peak loop fairly easily. Bathrooms are nice, showers lack some water preasure Dogs allowed on leashes and not in buildings.
Little Union River Yurt.
This was a walk in site about a mile from parking spot just down from park headquarters.
The hurt had two bunk beds, and woodburning stove, table and seating. A river right out back made for great water access. A woodpile and outhouse were also close. Great hiking close by and only a short drive to other attractions in the park.
The Porcupine Mountains are a great place to visit and offers a wide variety of types of camping. I would put Union Bay at the top of this of having the most ammenities of all the options. There are showers, plenty of spots for electrical hook-ups if that is something you are looking for and even a laundry room. The sites are nice and some of the lower numbered sites are situated right along the shores of Lake Superior. The biggest downfall is that the sites are pretty lose together. I saw plenty of tents, but they are really more made for Pop-ups. Overall I would stay here again especially since they do have showers.
The spot was great and perfect for our needs: to get in and around the Porkies for hiking (and to have modern showers to clean the hike off of us). The nice to haves met or fell just below expectations: - site was very muddy (DNR website was upfront about this at reservations, to their credit). -beach access was rocky, and there were lots of trailers ... 75%, 25% campers
Campground Review: This is a cool campground. It is right next to the beach. My tent was twenty feet from Lake Superior. It was quite soothing to listen to the waves crashing on the beach all night.
The bathrooms and showers were modern and clean. The grass was cut and well kept. You can tell that the campground/park staff take pride in this park. The State Park visitor's center is just a mile down the road and the area is full of rocks, cliffs, rugged trails, wilderness, and great views of Lake Superior. If you don't want to stay in the campground you can always get a permit to camp in the back country. This place is awesome, just keep an eye out for the black bears.
Gear Review: As an active campground reviewer on the dyrt, I was given a five day emergency food supply from Mountain House. At Union Bay I tested the Chili Mac. It is pretty good. It has a little bit of spice. After boiling two cups of water in my GSI Pinnacle Soloist cookset, and then pouring it into the pouch, it is supposed to take 8-9 minutes to cook and rehydrate.
My advice, let your pouch sit for 15-20 minutes and make sure you stir it well. If you don't you may get too much chili pepper in one bite or one of the kidney beans may not fully rehydrate. You can purchase this pouch for about $8.00 at REI.
Mountain House Chili Mac gets 4 out of 5 Stars! It had very good flavor. The spice was just the right amount. When I was finished eating I really wanted to make another pouch, a good sign that it was a good meal. The spice after taste did linger so I had some apple sauce and that neutralized the heat.
TIP: Make sure when you are eating any freeze dried food from a pouch, use a long spoon or spork, or you will get sauce all over your hand. My suggestion is the Sea to Summit Alpha Light spoon for $8.95 at REI. https://www.rei.com/product/782241/sea-to-summit-alpha-light-spoon-long
