Weather Station Campground — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Weather Station Campground is located on South Manitou Island and offers 20 individual sites and 3 group sites nearby.  The campground is located on a sandy bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and the mainland with picturesque places to enjoy your morning coffee.  Access to the island is by boat only (obviously, because it's an island) and from there, you'll have to hike to the campground through the woods or along the beach.  All sites are located in the woods, however they are close to the shore.  You must camp at one of the designated sites. 

The campground offers a shared fire pit, log benches to sit on, and access to a pit toilet (which was pretty smelly, but usable).  There is no access to clean drinking water at the campground, so plan on filtering water from Lake Michigan, or walking approximately 1.5 miles to the dock area to collect water there.  There are no food storage lockers, so food must be properly hung from a tree or stored in a bear canister to avoid being stolen by the microbears (aka chipmunks)! 

Keep in mind that this is a backcountry camping experience, so you'll need to be adequately prepared and carry in all your supplies.  In addition to a water filter and a first aid kit, bringing extra food with you is also a must.  The ferry is unable to reach the island in dangerous weather conditions.