Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp

Van Riper State Park Campground

This is a well run,clean campground in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was easy to access and right off the main road, no four wheel drive necessary.

The campsites are large and there are a few sites near the lake (We recommend 113).There is a great playground, the summer of 2018 it hosted an inflatable water park which was a riot!

The water system is getting redone which will remove the orange color in the showers (which would otherwise be very nice). The water was not drinkable due to high arsenic but a large container of potable water was available. That is the only thing keeping this campground from being a 5\.

The lake was a great temperature and very swimmable. Quiet hours are all the time so it was very peaceful and enjoyable. Ask the rangers for a listing of moose sightings outside of the campground.

Would definitely recommend for visitors in the U.P.

A Fun Family Friendly Campground near Canyon Falls

I arrived at Van Riper State Park by bicycle. The small towns I passed through did not have places to stop for food so I am looking forward to the beach's concession stand. I took a site in the rustic cmapground and found out that it does not include showers. There is another part of the campground that is for modern campers. 
I set up camp and spent a little time at the beach while I ate a small pizza. It was nice to have a beach area for summer swimmers. I had my own view of the lake from the campsite. This state park was a pleasant place to stay at.

Van Riper State Park

Along our travels in Michigan's Upper Peninsula from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore west to the Porcupine Mountains, we stayed at Van Riper State Park campground.  We found this campground located along U.S. Hwy 41 about 40 minutes west of Marquette MI. The Park sits on the west shores of Lake Michigamme.   Van Riper State park has both a Modern and Rustic campgrounds along, with hiking, biking and ATV trails.  There is a fine sandy beach, and playground.  At the beach there is a concession stand.  The park offers areas for boating, kayaking, and jet skiing, and fishing.  To book or check into either campground you must stop at the park office.  A Resident Recreational Passport is required or a charge of $11 will apply for each vehicle without one.  The park office also has firewood, ice and even ice cream for sale. I recommend to get your firewood from another local area, the bundles are $5 but are very small bundles like 3 or 4 pieces.  They also offer kayak rentals the price on those was decent.  $10 for a 2 hour kayak rental.

We stayed in the Modern campground.  There are 147 sites and 2 Mini Cabins.  Sites are equipped for tents, trailers and RV’s up to 50’.  There are free wifi by the restrooms, flush toilets, showers, drinking water, sanitation station, electric hookups at each site along with a fire pit and picnic table.  The daily price of sites is $22 - $24 and $49 for a Mini Cabin.  We stayed in site 92 that is located right next to the restroom/showers. Which was great having young children with us who seem to need to visit the restroom numerous times. This site is more for a trailer or a RV being the ground is hard and full of rocks.  We all used air mattresses so that wasn’t much of an issue.  We did take the time to remove any sharp rocks from where our tent was being placed to make sure no holes were made in the tent or mattresses.  Sites are very open and non private.  There is a host site that has information on activities around the park and neighboring areas.  They also offer activities for children to do.  

A short distance from the modern campground is the rustic campground.  There are 40 sites and a Camper's Cabin available. This campground offers vault toilets, and drinking water.  I did find out that for $2 per person for a day you can have access to the showers at the modern campground.  The daily price of these sites is $13, and $86 for the Camper’s Cabin.  These sites are equipped for tents, trailers and RV’s up to 30’.  There is no electric hook ups.  

During your visit to the park there are lot’s of scenic, historic, and recreational sites to visit.  A few miles from the park is the location of where Iron ore was first found in the Lake Superior region.  There is a Iron Industry Museum.  Lake Michigamme offers lot’s of activities for those visiting.  If you are really looking for a awesome adventure not too far from camp, you can drive an ½ hour west on Hwy 41 to the “Grand Canyon” of Michigan, this gorge and waterfalls are located along the Sturgeon River.  There is access to the North Country Trail here as well.  The Canyon Waterfall and Gorge are just breathtaking.  It is a 10 minute hike along the river from the parking area to the Canyon falls and gorge.  You can hike further in if you wish and discover the rapids area along the river.  We did not venture this far having small children with us.  Can’t wait to return on a adult trip to hike further along the river.  

I give this Campground a 5 star review, it is a great place to take the family on vacation.

Awesome State Campground located along US Hwy 41 in Michigan's U.P.

This campground is very pretty- nestled in a beautiful pine forest. Rumors are that they have had trouble with “kids” taking things from camps during this night so they warn folks to put things away at night, and noise issues, but we did not have any problems at all. There are restrictions on their drinking water so you need to haul in your own drinking water.  They do have two separate campgrounds, with rustic and modern (electric) sites. 
A floating course was available this summer but remember it is the UP plan on cooler weather. Beautiful park. 

Worth hauling water

We took a week long trip and toured Michigan. We spent 2 nights at Van Riper, the other campers were nice, the playset was large, and the beach was nice. The beach was steps down to the access (difficult with a wagon- we didn’t know), and the bathroom wasn’t the cleanest during our stay. The stars were gorgeous. 

Nicest of the 5 we stayed at

This was our last and least favorite campground of our week long MI trip. If the weather had been warmer I think we would have had more fun here because the beach and lakefront is gorgeous, but it was too cold to swim. Campsites in the modern campground are small and very close to one another, plus it seemed as though the modern campground was full of giant rigs and trucks. This made for cramped roads and little space to maneuver even our small camper. There are some bike trails that lead out of the park but they don't really go anywhere, they just ended about a mile down the highway. There was a bike park that kids were taking bikes and scooters on that looked fun. There are several playground areas, which was fun for the kids.

Cramped camp sites, nice lake

Van Riper State Park is a must-visit if you’re traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It’s popular year-round, although camping is only open between May and October. Stop for the day to hike the trails and go for a swim, or stay a week and enjoy the sunsets and serenity.

  

The state park covers both sides of the highway with the campground and day-use area on the south side and a huge section of trails and wildlife viewing areas on the north.  

  

There are 147 sites in the modern campground, including some sites with 50-amp electric service, and there are another 40 sites in the rustic campground. Plus, there are two mini cabins in the modern campground if you don’t own a tent or RV. All of the campsites have a fire ring and picnic table.  

  

One thing we noticed is that the sites at Van Riper are very large– so much bigger than many sites we’ve seen at other state parks. This means there is plenty of space for your trailer, truck, bikes, screen tent, kids’ toys, etc. without feeling like you’re infringing on your neighbor.  

  

Another plus for the state park is the laundry facilities. Two washers and dryers are located in the restroom building near the beach.  

  

Van Riper State Park is extremely family-friendly, with activities for everyone. There are approximately 5 miles of hiking trails on the north side of the state park. One trail provides a very nice overlook of Lake Michigamme and the surrounding area. Other trails run along the Peshekee River or through the woods and may even provide the chance to see the moose that live in the area. The trails are not difficult, but there is some elevation to get to the lookout. If you don’t want to hike the whole 5-plus miles from the campground and back, you can drive and park at the group campground and go from there.  

  

A sandy beach awaits both kids and adults on Lake Michigamme. The lake is popular as it is much warmer than most of the lakes in the Upper Peninsula. A large, fairly new playscape is also located near the beach, as well as a swing set. One of the most unique activities is a bike pump track. This is the only state park that we saw that had one. It was very popular with the kids and is conveniently located between the campground and the day-use area. The lake is popular for fishing and if you have a boat you can use the launch in the back of the park. It also is a good location for kayaking.

Great state park for families

Van Riper is cozied up on the east end of Lake Michigamme, and the views are absolutely gorgeous. Provides accessibility to a nice bike trail &amp; beautiful hiking trail across the highway. We went on a family camping trip and upon initial arrival, I noticed that the sites at the electrical campground are very close together, and there isn’t much space for activities if you don’t want to be in someone else’s site. It seemed like modern camping suburbia with how many campers and RV’s were at this campground. Lots of kids and families running around, as there are parks and trails all around the campground. It was hard to find a place that we could be alone with nature, but otherwise was a very comfortable place to stay. Our site was right across from the restrooms and shower facilities, so the foot and car traffic was a little much for my liking but to be expected. The facilities were well kept and very clean from what we noticed. The rustic campground is where I wished we had camped at. It seemed a little more like  “camping” with tents and more of a “roughing it out in the sticks” type vibe. I guess that depends of each persons personal preference on camping itself. Overall, I enjoyed the time spent at Van Riper with family. It is a large yet lovely &amp; charming campground focused on family bonding and making memories. 

Charming Family Oriented Park 

My kids made some of their best memories ever camping here.  Lots of families, positive environment.  Clean campground and park, helpful staff.  Swam and paddled on Lake Michigamme for hours.  Huge beach with volleyball net.  Large bathhouse with private shower rooms.  Huge playground.  Overlook hiking trail was awesome, minus the bugs!

Great memories made!

Nice campground right on Lake Michigamme, variety of sites (tents, cabins, electric hook-ups), big clean beach, showers. AT&amp;T was okay, ended up using it for internet over Starlink, which was spotty due to trees. Son had a good time skateboarding and using the playground. We've stayed twice now and likely will again. I did notice the AED was missing from the beach house/laundry area....otherwise it seems accessible.

Well-maintained State Park

Heading across the upper UP from upper  Wisconsin and needed a one night stay to dump tanks, etc.  The location was great and the park nice enough. Just happened to be there during the last ‘get the camping in with the kids before school starts’ time of the year. 
Dump station was fine and suited our needs. Verizon signal good as well. Easy in and out with our 28’ pull behind. 


Nice Park - Wrong Time

Older well established state park. Has high usage in summer.  Being older, many lots in modern area are close together. Decent restroom/shower building.  Poor wifi reception. 