Wilderness State Park Camping

We booked site 118 for the third week in October and really enjoyed our stay! A few things to note: 

- The showers and camp office were both closed when we arrived (10/23/24). I asked a park ranger and he said they typically close around the first week in October. If this is the case when you arrive too, you check in at the camp office using the phone in the yellow box which will direct you to a park employee. You will need your reservation number and license plate number ready. 

- Don't forget to purchase your Michigan parks vehicle pass, which is separate from your camp reservation. 

- Surprisingly, the potable water spigot near our campsite (just a short walk away) was still on! I know there was another review on here that said it was off already by mid-October, but it was on for us! 

- You are a stones throw away from your parking spot, although some spots do align directly with their site most are not actually on their site, but still very close.

- Pets are not allowed on the beach during piping plover nesting season (April I believe.) 

The beach front sites like ours are really really neat. You have a pretty good view of the water and your own private path right down to the beach. Keep in mind, you are likely to experience high winds. There were a couple days where our tent was getting buffeted around and starting a fire was challenging. 

I know a lot of the reviews say it's a pretty loud, busy campground, which I'm sure is the case in the warmer months. When we were here it was a virtual ghost town. All the RV spots next to us were completely closed for the season and we had no neighbors at all until Friday night. When neighbors did arrive they were quiet--but that's always luck of the draw! 

Site 118 is within view of the vault toilet, which supports around 6 sites so if it had been busier there would have been quite a few people coming and going in front of our site. I think if we went again while the showers and camp office were open we would maybe go for a different site slightly farther from the bathroom and with a bit more tree cover (122 looked quite nice if I remember correctly.) 

We had no issues at all with wildlife. 

There is a little store called Cecil's Trading Post 5 min drive away from the campground where they have an honor system for firewood--cash only, of course. The store itself was closed while we were there, but we bought firewood from them. It looked like you could maybe also get ice on the honor system. 

Mackinaw city is quick to get to and there were plenty of restaurants and attractions still open when we were there even though it was right on the cusp of the off season. If you want to drive over the bridge into the UP, it's a 4 buck toll each way for cars FYI. 

We stopped at a local brewery very close to the campground called Biere de Mac, which I highly recommend--great beer, good food, big open grassy outdoor area that allows dogs, and super friendly. 

Happy camping!

Don’t try to arrive early and get in. They don’t allow early entry. Check in is 3 pm period. Not real friendly, not rude either. Give the trading post 5 stars super nice well stocked. Lots of fire wood bundles to choose from. Has snack propane bottles

Book early to get a campsite on the beach! There are 3 campgrounds in total, the two on the water are amazing. The one on other side of the road from the beach is okay. The beach was beautiful, the water clear, and just a short drive from Mackinaw city!

the site was well maintained and the bathrooms were clean (enough).

checked in late and got to our site. the photos on DNRs website were relatively deceptive as site 594 seemed a little far from the other sites. the spots were pretty much on top of one another and the crowd that this park attracts (emphasis on crowd) blatantly ignores quiet time rules. if you like to party and be loud with other campers, this is your place. not for those who enjoy getting away from the busy areas.

Great campground only about 15 minutes from mackinaw city. Vault toilets but they are kept clean. Front desk was very nice and helpful. The tent site we stayed at had a good view of the lake and passing ships. Just a short 30 second walk from our site to the beach. Other sites are fairly close by but there is pretty good tree coverage for privacy from other campers.

Tent camped in site 441 right on the lake. Wide open spots (mostly campers in this loop but was fine for 2 tents), fairly close together but the views, the beach/water, the nearby activities entirely make up for that. Nice, clean bathrooms. Surprisingly no issues with bugs at all in early June!

Shady sites

Visited in Fall. Camped in lake front site (419); the lake being right by the campsite was nice. However, very little privacy nor trees in this area. Wide open camping - more like RV park camping. Not at all what I had hoped. Fire pits do not have cooking rack so bring own. Beach for walking very nice with water level down. Drove to Piping Plover nesting area-that was beautiful. Seven very remote rustic cabins in beautiful areas. Some right on water. October 18th they close modern bathrooms and most water spigots, so have to get water at Camp office. 20 miles of hiking trails. Headlands Dark Sky Park well worth the short drive; a Beautiful area. Gave 3 stars due to “RV Park” like campground. Otherwise rest of park 4-5 stars. More trees in back campground (not near Lake MI).

This park was beautiful. The staff is great and the location is amazing. We have a 45' fifth and fit in just fine. Beach access in multiple locations and the park goes on for miles. The water is crystal clear and the sand bars let you get almost 100 yards into Lake Michigan.

Beautiful MI state park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Close to Mackinaw Bridge.

We visited Wilderness State Park on our last day of our 10 day expedition, and I really just wish we could’ve stayed an extra day or two, honestly! The night before, we had an incredible time at the Headlands International Dark Sky Observatory the night before right down the street, and the next day we enjoyed a beautiful scenic hike through the forest at Wilderness State Park followed by a surreal, almost tropical like feeling swim at Sturgeon Bay. With the shallow sand bars, it was some of the warmest water we’ve swam in all summer, and I can only imagine how beautiful it is here in the fall! Really hoping to make it make in October!

My family and I stayed here in August 2020. We stayed in the pines loop of the campground and really like the shaded sites. The bathrooms were clean, and the campground was quiet overall. We will be back!

Stayed one night, one of the quietest campgrounds we have stayed considering close neighbors. Nice big beach, clean bathrooms. About 15 minutes from the observatory and dark sky park.

The campsites are on top of each other and there isn't a good place to pitch a tent on the gravel patch. It was very crowded and there was no privacy. It would have been a fine site if it didn't cost $41 ($35 site + reservation fee).

The bathrooms and showers were not dirty, but not super clean either. It had electric at the site and warm water at the showers. The beach was pretty and the stars were bright at night. However, the closeness of the sites really put a damper on things. We got to meet the neighbors, but I have never seen a more crowded campground. Overall, this campsite wasn't worth writing home about.

The information that this campground is closed for the 2021 season is wrong. Some sites are closed (1-75) for renovation but many are open.

The information that this campground is near Ann Arbor is also wrong. This campground is in northern Michigan on the west side on Lake Michigan.

This park is great and it’s 100% open for 2021...I was just there, it’s not closed at all, just a very small part of the park is for repairs and upgrade 6/17/21

This park has become our go-to place. The location is very secluded, but also close to Mackinaw if you are in the mood to go out for dinner. There are also a ton of places to visit within about an hour’s drive.

The campground itself is clean and generally low key. Virtually no partiers running around until 2am which helps make it a truly relaxing place.

The most amazing part of the park is the water and how accessible it is. Even if you are at the Pines campground you are only about a 5 min walk to the water.

My family and I have been camping here since I was 4 (I’m....much older than that now!). I have been taking my 3 sons here since my oldest was 5 (he’s 16 now). This is “our” place for R&R! Miles and miles of trails for day hikes, soft sandy beaches and cool water in the Straights, kayak-able, and always a fun community of campers. Hard to get in this year due to an update on the East Lakeshore campground, but we squeaked in. This is our favorite summer treat and retreat!

One of the best state campgrounds.  This is a very large park and can be hard to get into.  It has wonderful trails around it, good sized sites, an active ranger program for kids. There is the upper campground (Pines), which does not have direct views or water access, but is a great campground.  The lower section is on the water.  There is beach access for all campers along the water and gorgeous views of the Mackinaw Bridge.  It's a great hub for all the activities in the area: the dark sky park, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, etc.

We stayed at Wilderness in October this fall.  The fall colors were just about fully turned and it was just gorgeous.  This park is geared towards the RV camper and they have sites for just about any size rig.  The sites along the lake are geared more toward the sorter rigs.  Ours is a short 5'er and we fit just fine.

The only downside to this trip was the very high lake levels.  On the west side of the park with the more scenic beaches were just not accessible.  Actually, they didn't exist.  The water level completely inundated them.  Even the shore trees were in the water.  That prevented us from hiking where we had hoped to hike.  That really limited us.

The park was clean and the dump station clean and plenty of room  We would camp here again.

Wilderness was great, not what you are looking for if you are tent camping more of an RV park. Beautiful views though

This state park is one of the best. The campsites have amazing water views and are nicely spaced out. Bathrooms are clean. Highly recommend!

This very popular state park is a real winner due to its gorgeous remote location, sandy beaches, and crystal clear waters along the shores of Lake Michigan-- located just southwest of the iconic Mackinac Bridge. The sunrises and sunsets alone are worth the price of admission!  And, we lucked out to be camping during a meteor shower, one of the best we’ve ever seen. We laid out on the beach and watch the night sky for hours. 

All of the sites have electric hookups and are rather packed together, so there is literally no privacy between them if it’s a busy time of the season. The sites along the lakeshore are the best, and have direct beach access, but you need to be the early bird and make a reservation the morning that they open up. The campground hosts do a great job of keeping this park very clean. 

Because of all the cool things to do and see at this park, we honestly didn’t sit around much during the day. We hiked, biked, swam, snorkeled, and paddled our hearts out. We made it out to the most remote islands that are part of the park and even found Petoskey stones along the shores. Some of the finest Lake Michigan paddling we've done! 

We can’t comment on the bathrooms and there were simply too many people at this campground for us to feel comfortable using them during a pandemic, so we set up our own portable shower and toilet tent and it worked just fine. We would highly recommend this option to others who don’t have a bathroom in their camper or are tent camping. 

The closest “real” grocery store is in Mackinaw City, about 30 minutes away. But, Mackinaw City is a total tourist trap, so I’d avoid going there unless that is your thing. There is a small general store for snacks, ice cream, ice, and adult beverages about 4 miles outside of the park.

Pretty secluded campsites with trees surrounding each site. Private little sandy trail from the site down to Lake Michigan allows for good distancing from others. Can’t beat the sunsets. Definitely will be back.

I only wish I lived closer. We traveled all the way from NY to visit this campground and it has still been my favorite to date. We stayed in the loop with the full hook-ups and had a beach view. Every night we had a beautiful sunset to watch. When the water was still, it was crystal clear and beautiful. It reminded me of some place tropical. The kids enjoyed playing on the sandy beaches. While we were here, we also visited Mackinac Island. We rented some bikes and toured the island. Visited many attractions including a winery, ate some famous fudge and climbed up to an overlook of the lake. We had so much fun here and I hope to one day visit it again.

This is our favorite rustic campground, Surrounded by woods and on the water edge.

Tent camping - rustic waterfront, fire pit

RV camping - electric/ water, fire pit

Open your door and you are on the water!

Great park right on lake Michigan. Level sites, clean and modern facilities. 3 bays for sanitation station. Quality state park... Very large, but not much for privacy.

We kicked off our family camping trip at Wilderness State Park and it was just what we needed: A well maintained campground with long lovely beaches, gorgeous lake-view sunsets, and clean bathrooms. After a long drive from 90+ temps to the south, the refreshing swim in crystal clear water was simply exquisite.

The only minor thing keeping this from 5 stars is how tightly packed together the sites are, but the entire experience was so clean and comfortable we would happily come here again.

Review title says it all. I keep going back to this state park every year. Lakeside reservations fill super quickly (like 8:01am the day it opens) but this park is fantastic. Always seems to have a breeze off the lake that pushes the bugs out

Beautiful views of Lake Michigan! Lots of trees and beautiful sites! There’s a long drive in to the campsite and the bathrooms are not open year round but it’s a gorgeous place to spend some time. Word of caution: if you camp on waterfront site The wind can be quite treacherous!