Van Buren State Park Campground

The park rangers were super rude on the beach. There were children screaming and running around everywhere. Definitely too crowded and loud way past quiet hours.

Clean campground with large sites but no privacy between sites. There were lots of tall pine trees so most of the sites had some shade. Moderate hike to the beach and sand dunes.

Family oriented campground with 2 playgrounds-thus very noisy during day with kids. Brand new shower houses. Zero privacy between sites. Sites on small side. A long walk to the beach on Lake MI. Recommend driving or biking to beach. Beach very nice with nearby flush toilets. At nighttime, nearby highway noise which I dislike. Bring own fire rack for cooking-none provided.

Camp is clean and quiet. Bathrooms and showers are clean. Walking distance to the beach. Would visit again.

The campground itself is nice and clean with clean bathrooms and showers. Sites are close and does not provide a lot of privacy. More RVs than tents. Had some issues with some loud parties even after midnight, but hoping that was just that week. There was barely any beach left due to high water levels, so we had to get to the beach early in order to get a spot on the beach.

Would visit again due to proximity to where we live.

One night stop in this great state park. No thrills, just beautiful nature(forest, dunes, and lake)! No full hook, just electric. But water and dump onsite.

We rolled in here after striking out at some other campgrounds we had on our list. The facilities were clean (Bathrooms and Showers) and seemed well taken care of. The campground was a bit crowded, and the sites were pretty close together. We walked around the whole campground a couple times and there are a handful of sites that do offer a bit more privacy. It seemed as though the quiet hours were pretty well respected even in a completely full campground. 

There was also a nice playground for the kids and easy access to the beach and walking trails.

It has really spacious sites and there are two different shower houses.

This is your typical Michigan State campground, it’s an older campground so there’s lots of trees on most sites. We had site 111, it was level and well treed, it was also huge! We had our 5th wheel, 2 tents and 3 cars and still had plenty of room for more. Bathrooms were clean and the showers, even being a little dated were also clean and had plenty of hot water. The lake levels are pretty high so there isn’t much beach left but what is there made for 2 very nice beach days. The sunset views from the dunes was awesome! There’s a path going thought the middle of the campground that leads to the beach, about a 10 minute walk from our site. The playground had kids in it the whole time with an old style merry-go-round being the kids favorite. The campground was full but was quite and well maintained, we saw numerous patrols by the campground staff both during the day and at night, they are friendly and helpful if you have questions. All in all I will be going back to this campground

Small campsites, outlet on site, clean bathrooms, great walking paths and short walk to the lake. Very family friendly with lots of kids.

We stayed here due to it’s proximity to a wedding that we were attending. Like every campground, your experience is good or bad depending on the site you get and the people who are camping nearby. We lucked out and got one of the more spacious sites (#63) with some privacy bushes/trees in between. Not all of the sites here are like that, some seemed like they were very open and close to one another. Most of the sites did not appear to be very level, so if you are in an RV bring your leveling blocks. The campground has over 200 sites, but only two bathroom buildings, so depending on where you end up, it could be a long walk to the loo. The showers were individual locking units, unisex/ family, so if you had a few little ones you could all go in at once and keep them contained. The showers themselves were clean and adequate, although somewhat dated. I did not see any ADA showers that would accommodate a wheelchair or walker, but then again I may have missed that. Over all a decent place to stay, average noise and busyness for a state campground. Close by to beaches and dunes, although the walk from the campground to the beach is a bit long if you are hauling gear, you may opt to drive to the beach parking lot instead.

We stopped here to swim on our way back home after a 9 day camping trip. The beach access has eroded and is marked as closed, but there were plenty of people on the beach and a ranger who was at the orange fencing gave a friendly hello and let us exit. You have to be willing to climb down off of a concrete slab to get to the water. It is doable, but if you have physical limitations or a small child, it might be impassable. There is plenty of space to spread out and keep your distance. Water was wonderfully warm compared to further north.

We had the best time at this campground. The site was clean and well kept when we arrived. The fire pit and the picnic table were in excellent condition. The bathhouse was clean. This is a very family friendly campground with a playground and swings. The beach is a short walk from the campground. South Haven is a 10 min drive. We would stay here again!

We go here once a summer for the past 30-ish years. I love the rocky beaches, and the beach combing is the best. We have found may different color of beach glass along with fossils and many unknown oddities. The campground is clean and the campsites are large and shady. It's a bit of a hike from the campground to the beach, but if it's too long for you driving is an option. Many restaurants in nearby South Haven along with a maritime museum and tall ship rides. Weekends fill up fast, but you'll want to spend more than two days anyway!

My husband’s family has been visiting this campground for 34 years and it hasn’t lost its luster! The beach has shortened QUITE A BIT, but it’s still a great campground and park.

Camp sites are well shaded and have a lot of space. Walking distance to Lake Michigan with beautiful view of the sunset. Bathrooms were clean and showers were okay considering it is a campground. There is a playground for kiddos as well as bike rentals. A lot to do within the State Park.

Only negative is to be prepared to level your RV. Our site was not even. Not all spots were this way, but you will definitely need blocks or what not.

Good size lots, clean bathrooms, we always like to go there. There isn’t much of a beach this year, but in town there are two bigger ones.

The campground is a typical State Park campground, fairly open to other sites. The bathrooms were older style, but clean enough. The thing that sets this campground apart from others is the pristine Lake Michigan beach. You just can’t beat that!

Our experience here was pretty good, but I still can't bring myself to give this campground more than three stars. It was clean and relatively quiet at night. Bathrooms had free hot showers, and it's a 10-minute stroll to the shores of Lake Michigan. There's a huge sand dune to climb, and you can watch the sun set over the lake every night. Bike rentals are only $10 per day, even for tandems, and there's a flat, paved bike path that takes you to the quaint town of South Haven, about 5 miles north, where there are lots of touristy shops and restaurants. We enjoyed the Michigan Maritime Museum on the north shore.

The down side of the campground is that the beach is pretty much non-existent. You walk down through the pretty dunes, but there is literally no more than five feet of sand, and even less if the wind is blowing waves in off the lake. There are a few wide spots, but a lot of people sit up on the dunes because there's no place to sit on the beach. Do not expect big wide beaches to walk on. There are also no trails to speak of, if you want to hike. When you select your campsite, be aware that there's a path through the middle of the campground and some sites are right next to it, meaning very little privacy. The higher numbered sites are farther from the lake.

Some site have lots of shade. nice Camp store Lake place to hang out on the beach on Lake Michigan

Our family enjoyed this quiet, secluded campground in South Haven. Our site was on a corner lot and couldn't have been more perfect for our stay. Large fire pit and picnic table available at every site. There is a small path that leads to the beach. Best of all, warm showers everyday!

We camped here one night last summer on the way to Ontario. Its a large state park near the resort town of South Haven. The campsite was very crowded and full of local campers. The sites are on top of each other with no privacy or shade. The check in process was a mess. They did not have sufficient staff to handle the crowds during peak afternoon checkin. The facilities were old and in need of rear. The camp had overflowing trash cans everywhere. The highlight is the popular beach and sandy bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. This is worth a day visit if you are in the area. I can’t recommend this one due to the overcrowding and poor facilities.

This campground has Lake Michigan beach access. It’s sites spacious and restrooms clean.

Nice Mich State Park campground near South Haven MI located on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Clean shower houses. Sites with electric. Short walk to beach.

While it’s frequently challenging to find spots on lakes or bodies of water in general– Van Buren has a short hike to get you to the beach. For those looking for seclusion... this is not your campsite. We had three tents in mid-October and we were within a sea of RVs. Sites are pretty close to each other but our neighbors were friendly. Remember not to move your firewood from out of state! We purchased a mix of firewood from the neighbors off-site and the check-in office. Our site had a nice picnic table and fire ring, however be prepared with your own grill grate or skewers. We had two dogs with us and well behaved dogs would fit in well here.

Omgosh, absolutely stunning. The beach and local walks are great. The pier is beautiful, lots of Fisher man. Very cute town. Camping was great, we were pretty close to the people next to us. It was all good though. All together the experience was great, couldn’t sleep a bit because of someone’s dog barking. No one did anything about it.

Campground with all the typical amenitie for family camping, running water bathrooms, electric sites, playground equipment/swings,. Visited with a large 38 foot RV and had a drive through site. Fun but very steep hikes to the beach through the sandy hills. The views however were amazing and the kids LOVE running down the sand hills.

This is one of our favorite camping spots in Michigan. We love it for its location to South Haven and because it’s a great state park and campground.

The campground has modern amenities such as toilets and showers. The beach restrooms are modern and clean as well.

The dunes are beautiful and this is clean beach with clear water. Hike or bike to the beach from the campground or drive over. There’s plenty of parking.

Do bring water shoes. The beaches of the East Lake Michigan shore tend to be rocky and this one is no exception. Also be sure to heed the flag system for beach safety. Lake Michigan rip currents are nothing to take lightly. There are no lifeguards at this beach.

Be sure to take a trip into town for ice cream at Sherman’s!

P.S. The sunset over the lake is a must see

We enjoyed this campground. The only complain is that 3 out of the 5 or 6 showers weren’t in working order. I’m assuming it was because it was early in he year. It was still a nice place to stay and we had a great time!

Easy access to lake, family friendly