Great staff and a very clean location to camp
The park at Swains Lake is really nice. There is lake access to fish, playgrounds for the kids, and a nice pavilion. The campground sites are pretty close together. It's a nice place to camp during the week, but it did get really crowded on summer weekends. I will say the shower house is GREAT! Individual showers with locking doors for complete privacy.
The location is great to day trip around the area. We enjoyed a day in Kalamazoo. Jackson isn't far with major grocery stores and shopping.
Well kept and lots of amenities. On site fishing ponds are catch and release with lots of active fish to enjoy.
Has a boat access, with a beautiful lake. You can go through little canals to get to other parts of the lake. Sites have perfect amount of shade. Defiantly will be going back
This was our very first camping trip with the travel trailer and we loved it! We had family come up and really enjoyed it. We found a little hiking trail with the family and enjoyed taking our dog out on it. We will absolutely be going back next year!
Awesome campground! Very friendly staff. Super clean and updated bathrooms. On the kal-haven trail. All spots are pull through. And all spots are close to the bathrooms.
Great campground! Stop over on drive back to PA from South Dakota! So pretty! Wish I was able to stay longer! I will go back to this beautiful area of the country!
Second time here. Sites are shorter and sometimes uneven. Bike trail, hiking trails, store, beach, inn, nature center.
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!
Playground was not suitable for toddlers (1-3 year olds). This park is best known for their hiking and biking trails which our kiddos are still a little young for. The sites are decently sized and secluded.
Campground Review:
After finding our original campground full, we were directed over to Fort Custer. We found a campsite that was large with vegetation separating us from neighbors. I didn't expect to find something this interesting as an alternate to original plans but it worked out nicely.
There are a couple hundred sites and most of them were full. Our site was on the far end of a loop. This meant a longer walk to the restrooms and showers. On the other hand, we were right across from an access trail to the blue hiking trail. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. It was overcast upon arrival only to have the sun shine down the next day. We soon found out that there was enough clearing in the treetops to give our camp full sun for most of the day. If you camp here, I suggest one of the other sites that would give you a break from the sunny heat.
We hiked on a multi-use trail that the ranger suggested. The blue trail goes around a couple lakes and was wonderful. We did miss a sign or two and ended up turning our 4 mile trip into a 6.5 mile one but there are plenty of spots to rest and enjoy the time. We passed other hikers and bikers and even some people trying their luck at fishing. There are quite a few mountain bike trails on the other side of the recreation area. A horse trail circles around the outside edge.
Product Review:
As a Dyrt Ranger I sometimes get products to evaluate. This trip I tested out the Midland X-Talker two way radio - T77VP5. The kit we used came bundled into a zippered case that is perfect for keeping everything organized. We charged it up before our trip and even tried it out in a school building.
We read reviews that said it might not work well in buildings and thought we should see. I gave them to two high schoolers and asked them to run throughout the place testing them as they went. They came back happy and excited and wanted to keep using them.
The real test came out in the woods. The belt clip snaps on easily and this stayed connected to my pack strap for our entire hike. The X-Talker fits nicely in the hand and the buttons are perfectly placed. Another feature I wanted to try was the weather radio. It scans channels automatically to find a weather channel in range. You just need to listen to the report as it cycles through the days. We had some rain and storms moving in so this proved useful in helping us sneak out of camp really early to avoid the downpour that was looming.
The Midland X-Talker T77VP5 radios worked wonderfully and will certainly see more use on future adventures.
It was only $2 to enter the park. There was three hiking trails to choose from, we choose the “turkey trail”. The trail was well marked but got quite confusing about 3/4 in. Tons of fun things to see here, beautiful stone bridges. Trail was well maintained.
We did not camp here but camp sites were very spread out and most very shaded.
Nice new park. More trees would be nice as it was quite windy when we visited. Good location.
Sites have electrical service only. Must use the dump station.
We wish the park was closer to home so we could go all of the time. We have met amazing people and there is so much for our daughter to do. We love Yogi!
This is our 2nd time staying here and we really like it. It has a nice boat launch onto a sports lake that also connects to another larger sporting lake. There is a nice clean beach area, little bit pebbly, but always freshly raked and cleaned every morning.
It is mostly seasonal camper sites, however they do have a few sites for weekend campers like we are. One is a really nice group site that we always reserve and can accommodate 4 or more campers depending on the size. The group site is right next to the boat launch and beach.
The sites only have electricity, no water or sewer, but the amenities station is right near the restrooms and not terribly far away. It also has nicely paved roads and grassy sites. The weekend sites are not shaded, there are no trees on the group site.
The showers and restrooms are very clean and a clean porta-potty is located near the boat launch as well.
There are two very nice and well kept playgrounds as well that also have toddler swings as well as swings for bigger kids.
My only complaint is, the group site always is riddled with goose droppings. We’ve taken to bringing a rake and large outdoor rugs because it can be really bad. But, that being said, there isn’t a ton that can be done about that and we still really enjoy this campground.
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.
Nice campground overlooking Ellsworth lake. Lot are decent size but not real level. Restroom / shower house outdated but fairly clean.
Love going there to ride the trails or walk my dogs the lakes are awesome great beach Great fishing awesome picnic areas nice boat launch. Most campsites are big with trees in between. Miles of biking and hiking trails
Absolutely beautiful hiking area. Nice place to camp right on blind lake. It's a 7 mile hike in (can also be accessed via boat), part of the Potowatomi loop trail (~18 miles) located in Waterloo-Pinckney recreation area. This place is filled with all sorts of mushrooms, never seen that many different species in one place. Parking for trailhead is at silver lake, be cautious as trail is primarily used for mountain biking. Be sure to walk counter-clockwise if walking the full loop trail, so that you see them coming. Not a big deal, fairly easy to step out of the way quickly. Lots of wildlife and a good bit of elevation change and 2 sections that can be skipped via shortcut if not up for the full 18 miles. Great views and lots of biodiversity, was surprised at how many different landscapes it seems you move through in such a short distance!
This is a campground of largely seasonal campers. The small but adequate campsite that we were assigned served us well for a two day layover in our travels. Friendly park staff, shower, small lake for fishing. There were people swimming although it looks very inviting with the amount of weeds in the water. Nice general store with hand dipped ice cream. Near town of Coldwater which has everything you would need, including a theater on a rainy day. Electric and water. $30
The campsites are located past the playground and shelter. Just keep driving down the road that looks like an alley. There is a wonderful place set up for just a few campers.
A couple sites are for tents only and the others are standard sites. There are a few trees by the sites but it’s mostly open area. Portable toilets are at the end of the camping area and in the playground area. The playground is a day use area for town so expect to meet some locals.
Driving just down the street takes you to the police station. This is where you register for the site. Town is around you and ready to explore. There are a few train tracks and industrial businesses which provide a bit of noise along with traffic. For us, the noise just slid right into the background.
This is a great place for a low price.
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.
Although the location was ideal the sites were small and close to each other that would not be very comfortable. There are two loops and both are tight, which made it difficult to maneuver. Season campers were friendly though!
Rob and Vicki are the owners and are absolutely phenomenal! They are so attentive and focused on their campers and the experience of each camper. Rockey’s is clean and have nice showers and bathrooms. They store us anything you would need - even worms. Rockey’s is on a chain of 5 lakes and has some of the best fishing! Rob and Vicki do so much for the kid campers too! We go every year for Memorial Day and they remember us every time. We call to make our reservations every February when the office opens up. They are so responsive to phone and email. Rockey’s is by far our favorite campground! I highly recommend to all looking for an off the map, relaxing outdoor experience.
If you are looking for lots of things to do and water fun, this is your place! Lots of scheduled activities and playgrounds available. Nothing compares to their outdoor pool areas and 2 jumping pillows. Only complaint would be that if you are planning a summer weekend you have to book wayyyyy in advance due to demand.
They overcharge for EVERYTHING! While there we over heard them planning a craft event (horse pool noodles) they said they paid $3.00 for all supplies combined and planned on charging each child $4.00! 🤬 They could careless if people drive the wrong way on their roads. The only plus to this place is the playground right in the middle of the park, oh and the $1.50 wagon ride! We’d never stay here again.
This campground was really nice and peaceful and there were lots of trees. We didn't have the best weather the weekend we went so there were a lot of tarps rigged up to provide shelter from possible rain.
There is a lake and really nice hiking trails that we took advantage of. The rangers were constantly patrolling (even at night) which was kind of weird. We couldn't buy firewood at the campground when we arrived.
Overall - good for a couple days, not our favorite.
5 friends and I drove out from Chicago to this campground and were pleasantly surprised by how great the campground and site were. I booked this site a month in advance during the summer so I must have just gotten really lucky! The site was cozy, not crazy spacious but enough for two tents and two cars.
The campground had a lot of motorhomes, families, and larger groups around us but it was still very quiet and peaceful. The rangers were really nice and you could buy ice and firewood at the campground.
There was a great 3.5 mile hike around the lake with really beautiful lake views and a great beach for swimming. We had an awesome time and would definitely come back here.