This is the only backcountry spot in the Sleeping Bear Dunes on the mainland. I gave it a 3 star rating because this place hardly classifies as "the wilderness". The hike in is a quick, flat terrain hike through somewhat anticlimactic scenery. Once you're at the the campground, the sites are pretty close together (which might be a good thing for groups) and there is a communal fire ring. If your preferred version of the backcountry is a short walking distance from the car and less secluded, more social sites, then this just might be your 5 star site. The beach was about 1/2 a mile from the campsite and was completely empty. Although this beach does not have the characteristic dunes of the surrounding lakeshore, it is beautiful in that it's completely yours. I would recommend this site as an ideal spot if you wanted to take a larger group and reserve multiple sites or as a way to ease first time backpackers into the backcountry. Visited July 2016.