North Manitou Island Backcountry Campsites

This place was truly amazing. Forests, hills, beaches, and dunes really help break up the terrain you encounter. The old village and scattered ruins and structures make for interesting stops. Visiting the cemetery was an ethereal experience as the sun began to set.

Once we disembarked, we made our way south on the primary trail until we got to the cemetery and Bournique's place. Some historical trails on the map were difficult to navigate. Having a compass made for an easier time bushwacking back to the trail but it was not easy. If you have difficulty navigating via compass and map, don't use the historical trails.

Once we got to the western shore, we hiked another mile or so to Donner Point, where we found excellent ground for our tents and it was completely isolated. Gorgeous views.

Then we hiked all along the shoreline the 2nd day, not using the trail. The first half was quite leisurely. The 2nd half was very rocky, slippery, and several downed trees had to be climbed over or cut through. Then we camped on the beach just past Crescent.

The 3rd day, we climbed the dune and got back on trail following the old railway bed to the Eastern shore where we set up in the village campground for a more comfortable night before leaving the next day.

All in all, it was a great experience and I look forward to returning. It is very rustic! Early June was comfortable at night and the bugs were at a minimum for the most part. There were many weekend visitors so I'm glad we went Sunday to Wednesday when there's typically fewer people on the island.

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME! Taking a ferry is definitely an experience but then they drop you off in an old abandon village. From there you take off in any direction and find a cool place to camp. There is a central lake, bluffs, cool weather in the summer and great trails.

N. Manitou Island is part of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and is located in Lake Michigan and offers days of discovery to be had. To get to N. Manitou you will take a ferry in Leland, Michigan that will take you to the island. You can stay for a day trip, backcountry camp, or stay at the designated camp gound. You must take ALL needed supplies for your stay with you to the island, there are no stores there. Once on the island you can go many miles of hiking, where you will encounter beutiful forest, marsh, dunes, and the abandoned buildings, ruins, and orchards unused for over 100 years. If you pack your fishing pole to lake manitou, located in the center of the lake, you can experience amazing small mouth bass fishing. I spent my 3 days fishing, but plan on heading back to explore more.