Best tent camping Michigan Michigan.

Book - 2011

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917.7404/Best 2015
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2nd Floor 917.7404/Best 2015 2015 Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Guidebooks
Published
Birmingham, Ala. : Menasha Ridge Press 2011-
Language
English
Physical Description
volumes : maps ; 23 cm
ISBN
9781634040082
  • Michigan Campground Locator Map inside front cover
  • Michigan Map Key
  • Best Campgrounds
  • Acknowledgments
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Southeast Michigan
  • 1. Port Crescent State Park Campground
  • 2. Holly Recreation Area: McGinnis Lake Campground
  • 3. Pinckney Recreation Area: Crooked Lake and Blind Lake Campgrounds
  • 4. Waterloo Recreation Area: Green Lake Campground
  • 5. Lake Hudson Recreation Area
  • Southwest Michigan
  • 6. Warren Dunes State Park: Rustic Campground
  • 7. Yankee Springs State Recreation Area: Deep Lake Rustic Campground
  • 8. Highbank Lake National Forest Campground
  • 9. Pines Point National Forest Campground
  • 10. Haymarsh Lake State Game Area Campground
  • 11. Tubbs Lake State Forest Campgrounds
  • Northwest Michigan
  • 12. Ludington State Park: Jack Pine Walk-In Campground
  • 13. Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area: Dispersed Campground
  • 14. Peterson Bridge South National Forest Campground
  • 15. Silver Creek State Forest Campground
  • 16. CCC Bridge State Forest Campground
  • 17. Baxter Bridge State Forest Campground
  • 18. Arbutus Lake No. 4 State Forest Campground
  • 19. Bassett Island Campground
  • 20. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: D. H. Day Campground
  • 21. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: South Manitou Island, Weather Station Campground
  • 22. Graves Crossing State Forest Campground
  • 23. Fisherman's Island State Park Campground
  • 24. St. James Township Campground, Beaver Island
  • 25. Wilderness State Park: Lakeshore Campground
  • Northeast Michigan
  • 26. Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground
  • 27. Rifle River State Recreation Area: Spruce Campground
  • 28. Sawmill Point Primitive Campsites
  • 29. Ossineke State Forest Campground
  • 30. Tomahawk Creek Flooding State Forest Campground
  • 31. Pigeon River State Forest Campground
  • 32. Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
  • 33. Jones Lake State Forest Campground
  • Upper Peninsula
  • 34. Brevoort Lake National Forest Campground
  • 35. Big Knob State Forest Campground
  • 36. Monocle Lake National Forest Campground
  • 37. Bay View National Forest Campground
  • 38. Tahquamenon Falls State Park: Rivermouth Pines Campground
  • 39. Pretty Lake State Forest Campground
  • 40. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: Twelvemile Beach Campground
  • 41. Petes Lake National Forest Campground
  • 42. Portage Bay State Forest Campground
  • 43. Carney Lake State Forest Campground
  • 44. Bewabic State Park Campground
  • 45. Sylvania Wilderness and Recreation Area: Clark Lake Campground
  • 46. Bond Falls Flowage Campground
  • 47. Henry Lake National Forest Campground
  • 48. Black River Harbor National Forest Campground
  • 43. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park: Presque Isle Campground
  • 50. Courtney Lake National Forest Campground
  • Appendixes and Index
  • Appendix A. Camping-Equipment Checklist
  • Appendix B. Sources of Information
  • Index
  • About the Author
  • Map Legend inside back cover

Waterloo Recreation Area: Green Lake Campground Beauty: 4; Privacy: 3; Spaciousness: 5; Quiet: 5; Security: 4; Cleanliness: 5 Key Information Contact: Michigan DNR-Waterloo Recreation Area, 734-475-8307; michigan.gov/waterloo Open: March-December Sites: 25 Each site has: Picnic table and fire pit Assignment: Reservations can be made online at midnrreservations.com and by calling 800-447-2757 Registration: Self-register at campground Amenities: Water and vault toilets Parking: At sites only Fee: $12 Elevation: 965' Restrictions Pets: On leash only Fires: Fire pits only Alcohol: Permitted Vehicles: Michigan Recreation Passport required Other: 15-day stay limit Part of the experience, of course, is engaging with nature, and there's no better way to immerse yourself in the heart of Waterloo than to pitch camp in the park's rustic Green Lake Campground. The 20,000 acres of Waterloo Recreation Area make it the largest state park in the Lower Peninsula. The park features the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center, where people come to learn about the local ecology, and the Waterloo Farm Museum, which is operated by the Waterloo Area Historical Society. Though the park shares many traits with the neighboring Pinckney Recreation Area--it has two modern campgrounds (to Pinckney's one), a swimming beach, and trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding--Waterloo places more of an emphasis on interpreting the region's natural and human history for visitors. Part of the experience, of course, is engaging with nature, and there's no better way to immerse yourself in the heart of Waterloo than to pitch camp in the park's rustic Green Lake Campground, which consists of 25 sites on a small loop. Sites overlook the lake on one side and back up to wetlands on the other. Encircling a small grassy knoll, many of the sites on the inside are out in the open, exposed both to the elements and to the eyes of nearby campers. Sites on the outside of the loop, however, are nestled in the trees and offer a little more privacy. Site 8 offers the most privacy. Surrounded by trees, right on the water, the site is downhill from the main road that runs through the campground. Sites 5 and 6 also sit on the water. The wide, grassy lots have nice overhead coverage from the sun but little privacy. Sites 2 and 4, which sit across from these, also enjoy plenty of shade, but when someone decides to crank open a pop-up between you and the water, it will most certainly block the view of the lake. Waterloo boasts a 5-mile mountain-bike loop, but trail planners overlapped the trail with a longer bridle path, and in the past this has made the track unridable. Your best bet is to take your mountain bike next door. The miles of maintained single-track at Pinckney will not disappoint. Campers looking for a nice hike in the woods, or through a meadow or around a lake, are in for better luck. A network of nature hikes--14 miles of trails divvied up into seven loops ranging from 0.8 to 5.3 miles--all lead out from the Discovery Center. The Discovery Center draws thousands of visitors every year, including busloads of students. Run as a joint project by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Waterloo Natural History Association, the center sheds light on the region's unique geology and ecology. With its hands-on exhibits and displays and a full complement of programs for kids and families, you'll come away with a head full of knowledge about local birds and their plumage; the hive building of bees; ice ages, glaciers, and mammoths; Waterloo's trees and flowers; and even a little astronomy. Among the area's geological peculiarities are its kettle lakes and bogs, part of the glacial influence on southeast Michigan. The bogs here are home to some of the most exotic plants in the state, in particular carnivorous pitcher plants and sundews, as well as wild irises. You might spot some of these when hiking the Bog Trail. Much of this path is on an elevated wooden walkway--no need to worry about returning with wet shoes. Hikers looking for more than an afternoon stroll, however, will want to take note of the 36-mile Waterloo-Pinckney Trail, which connects the Pinckney Recreation Area (to the east, between Pinckney and Dexter) with the Waterloo Recreation Area (to the west, between Waterloo and Chelsea). The trail was designed to offer backpackers a multiday hike in southeast Michigan. Backpackers typically follow the trail west to east, beginning the trek at the modern Portage Lake campground. A day of hiking brings them to the park's other modern campground at Sugarloaf Lake. Ten miles farther, just before entering the Pinckney portion of the trail, hikers will often spend the night at the Green Lake Campground. The portion of the trail that passes through the Waterloo Recreation Area is quite stunning, and I would recommend taking some time to hike a piece. Along the way, the path passes through woods and marsh as well as fields, which in the summer are covered with wildflowers. It climbs some interesting terrain and comes close to nearly a dozen lakes and ponds. The trail can be especially arresting in the fall, when the foliage begins to change color. For an appreciation of what it must have been like to come to this area as a settler, head over to the Waterloo Farm Museum. In 1844, Johannes and Fredericka Ruehle moved their children into a log house here, and the museum tells the story of this family and their progeny. For more than a hundred years, the Realy family--Realy is the Americanized spelling of Ruehle--farmed this land, and their story sheds light on what life was like for many families across Michigan. From the farmhouse to the bakehouse and plenty of other structures in between, this is a great place to spend a few hours. Getting There The campground is on the eastern edge of the park. The entrance is off M 52, 5.5 miles north of I-94 (Exit 159). GPS Coordinates: N42° 21.846' W84° 04.218' Excerpted from Best Tent Camping: Michigan: Your Car-Camping Guide to Scenic Beauty, the Sounds of Nature, and an Escape from Civilization by Matt Forster All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.