Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Jay W.
Reviewed Jul. 19, 2018

Camping Options Galore! A Deep Woods Experience

This is a beautiful area to visit even if it is just for a day, but just a days visit will leave you wanting to comeback for more! The Porcupine Mountains is located in the Northwest tip of Michigans Upper Peninsula. There are multiple entrances depending on what part of the park you want to visit. One of the most popular sites in the park is Lake of the Clouds. I have never been fortunate enough to see it on a clear day in person so you may take your chances by cloud cover or the fog. There are campsites that do sit close to the lake but require a hike. This park offers many hiking trails that pass and cross numerous lakes and streams. If you are a backpacker this is an excellent place to go. I would suggest later August or Fall. The trails can be impassable at times during the late Spring and the black flies will disappear usually by August but they can stick around. Check trail conditions often!! You can either camp with your tent or rent cabins along the trail which are usually well kept, I can not say the same about the Yurt however. You should book these cabins or tent sites well in advance as this is a popular park. I prefer tent camping but on my week long hike I decided to rent cabins instead and I am glad I did. I did hike the second week of June and the trails were unkept and the tent sites were thick mud with not much of a choice but to sleep in the mud. The cabins do have wood burning stoves, beds and benches. You will have the occasional rodent but some of the cabins had traps in them and if you set one and catch one, you will be left alone for the rest of the night. I had set the trap and reset the trap twice in 30 seconds, after catching two and coming to the conclusion I could be up all night doing this, after the third trap I just left the rodent in the trap and it must have been a deterrent because I wasn't bothered the rest of the night.

I really can't say enough about this park even though my hiking experience was miserable given the trail conditions. It is a challenge to hike but with such a vast are of wilderness there is so much more to do. Near by is the Presque Isle River Campground and Scenic Area which shouldn't be missed either.

Sitemultiple back country sites
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
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  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Jay W., July 19, 2018