Such a great area. Great view! Totally worth the drive and hike in. A great way to backpack in. I will forever be enamored with it. Fabulous sunsets views.
Traveling in the winter by snowshoes requires more planning and skill. We brought a sled and embraced the weather. Did see a few large bear prints on the way to the bear canister. Seeing picture rocks in the winter is well worth the adventure and exhaustion to get there. The weather dumped lots of snow constantly and the winds never stopped howling.
If you are looking for decent modern campsite Harrisville offers that. There is a bike trail that goes into town. Friendly host that offer books. There is wood on site to purchase through a vending machine. Only takes exact amount. Sites are pretty close together which makes getting to know your neighbors from the get go. The bathroom was very nice. Extremely clean and well kept. Staff was there several times even this late in the season cleaning at 6:30 am. The view of the lake was lovely. I happened to have site 74 which has a great view of the lake. Though the traffic of bathroom goers is annoying. The bathroom offered such bright beam of light I never used any of my flashlights. Depends on how you feel about that. If you’re looking for nice weekend to sleep outside this is nice. If you’re looking to get away from it all and have peace and quite. This is not it. Even in September. Staff was super friendly. I originally booked 82 and it was extremely tiny for a tent site more suited for a RV. Be mindful when picking your site. Majority on the water side are tiny and are more suited for RV not a tent. I mean tiny!
This is lovely place to try out when your short on time. You can try out your new gear or just enjoy being outside. Very easy to get to and if you want to camp overnight you can buy a permit online super easy. This place is open year-round.
A nice park that has a lot of amenities. Basketball court, volleyball net, fishing pier, and bike trails. Bathrooms were kept neat and tidy. Showers were clean and water was hot. Camp staff were friendly and around to answer any questions. Some cons to the state park. The sites are close together, which is to be expected with modern sites. If you want super quite this place won’t be that, there is a busy road old 127. Though the place has a lot of options and things to do. Fishing, biking , boating, and playing at the beach.
Top three things that are best about this state camp ground are as listed:
Camp sites are huge. Plenty of room for multiple tents. Also all have trees for shade or a hammock.
Camp sites are NOT on top of each other. Usually you only get this in the backcountry. I was very impressed for rustic camping I had privacy and plenty of room.
The beach was fantastic. Lovely shoreline. Lots of cool beach rocks. The day use area is also very accessible.
The only major con is that it is next door to a cement facility. So yes you will sorta see if from the beach and you will see it when you drive up to go into the park. Other than that you won’t really know it’s there. I will say if you like airplanes the beaver island is nearby and A LOT of planes do fly by. So if you’re looking for library quite… this isn’t it but it pretty dang close.
The vaulted bathrooms were fine. There was water accessible as well. A great place and I would totally come back!
Totally worth the drive! For car camping, this place is a gem. Near the water, updated bathrooms and showers. Though the sites are close together but anytime you car camp that’s part of the charm. The beach area is gorgeous. Wonderful walkway that allows anyone in a wheelchair or anything to stool up the beach to check it out. Shallow enough to play i the water and the water is sandy. Staff were cheerful and easy to check in. So glad I made the choice to go there.
Island lake really does feel like you’re up north with the hours spent on I-75. There are great hiking trails that give novice and Intermediate hikers a chance to sharpen their skills. Signs are well marked throughout the park. Also, lots to do here swimming, hiking, biking, overall outdoor fun. I’ve biked here and have hiked here several times. Great location without having to drive too far.
Lakeport has lots of sites some back into the woods, some face the water. They have updated the bathrooms super nice. Also the playground equipment has been updated. The sizes on the site are large for the most part. Some sites in the middle don’t have a lot of shade so do your homework. There is a camp store, for anything you forget. They also sell wood at the store, bonus. Staff was friendly and made good suggestions for what site I might like. Weekends are always booked months in advance. During the week you’ll have a better chance.
For being a modern campground this place is surrounded by trees and shade. Being close to the water is fantastic. Lovely paved walkway to the beach. The restroom was decent, met all the needs for camping. Staff was friendly and helpful. Sites were a good size. I happened to be at site #99 and it worked out just fine. Yes, this park is popular and it’s a family friendly place so you are bound to have some noise and deal with not much privacy. If you want that type of trip go backpacking. For car camping this was fantastic. I will for sure go back. Swimming at the beach area was also very nice.