My husband and I had a great experience at Munising Tourist Park Campground. We loved it so much we…read morebought a sticker to put on our truck tent. This campground looks unassuming at first glance, but it really has everything you need. Our site was equipped with outlets and water hookups, a picnic table, and a fire pit. Firewood is available for purchase at the little camp store. The whole campground sits on the edge of the lake which provides great sunsets. It was oddly quiet in the morning (minus a rude couple using drills to tear down their setup at 6AM, but that was not the campground's fault as they do have quiet hours)-- which is unusual for a family campground. The staff were exceptionally nice and helpful. I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to others.

After the first night of my stay, I went to the office to inquire about the campfire policy because…read morea neighboring site's smoke had been blowing through mine for several hours (this was in the daylight, it was warm out, AND the group had left their site and left the fire unattended). The person working laughed at me and essentially told me 'f-you, we don't care about your experience, we aren't going to do anything about it'. Each subsequent night, fires were left burning and unattended while the site occupants slept. On top of the reprehensible customer service and fire safety, the sites are crammed on top of one another with no trees and zero privacy. Also, the water and electric pedestals are shared between 2-4 sites each. On the plus side, it is right on the beach (assuming you can stand being around all the smoke long enough to enjoy it) and close to town. So much for spending time outdoors to enjoy the fresh air.

The trail if you are up for it, is good. It's lengthy and windy and many ups and down…read more Definitely good for sneakers or hiking boots, maybe even a hiking stick for some leverage on the inclines. Make sure as with any walks or hikes, bring water to keep yourself hydrated. As the walk will leave you parched as you go up and down small hills. It's good either way to get some fresh air, not the urban air either. Happy hiking and see cool stuff! You can drive close to by the Sand Point, Miners Castle other stops along the shore.

I've visited Pictured Rocks multiple times. The trails range in difficulty levels and length. I…read morewould say the easiest is Munising Falls, as it's 800 ft from the visitor center and the main trail is paved with asphalt with some wooden bridge areas and pretty flat. The other trails can be as long as you want them to be-you can string a bunch of them together to make a super long hike. Hiking along the cliffs is definitely worth it. The cliffs are beautiful with carved out sea cave areas and rock collapses, and the color of the cliffs are flat out gorgeous. Just be sure to bring mosquito repellent. The visitor center at Munising Falls is newly renovated and a bit bare, without a gift shop or exhibits. They're probably going to be adding that soon since the lobby is large and empty for now. The park ranger is friendly and helpful to make up for it. Next time I'll probably do a boat cruise so I can get another vantage point to admire the shores!

We stayed at this campgrounds for 2 nights. The location was absolutely lovely. Despite being in…read moreclose proximity to a main road, the campground was super quiet. We heard another camper (with another group) played the sax one evening and it was very soothing with the sound of the lake lapping the shoreline. The camp host kept plenty of air fresheners in all the vault toilets. They were super clean and very pleasant smelling for vault toilets. The campground overall was super well kept.

Bay Furnace Camp and Picnic Grounds is a terrific place to stay for the simple traveler who…read moreappreciates sleeping outdoors in the heart of nature. I discovered Bay Furnace through the app on my phone called Campendium. Campendium was very helpful in assisting me finding worthwhile campsites along my 2021 summer road trip. Although Bay Furnace Campground is technically located in the town of Munising, Michigan, it's actually situated in the charming town of Christmas, MI. Though when I was here visiting back in the month of May...there wasn't anything Christmas(y) about the town, lol. Still, the main purpose for me being in Munising....was to explore the scenic coastal landscape along the shores of Lake Superior. Overall this campground is set just outside Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and a host of beautiful waterfalls. After spending a good portion of my day driving along Pictured Rocks NL...I couldn't find any affordable accommodations in Munising. The next best thing for myself was camping. I had a tent with me and showed up here to Bay Furnace Campground. It was early evening when I pulled up to the entrance area. The instructions stated that Bay Furnace accepts about half reservations at recreation.gov and half on a first come, first served basis. I was a little nervous about not finding a campsite when I started driving throughout the grounds. It was late in the day on a Thursday just at the start of the summer vacation travel season, yet I spotted an unoccupied site right near the entrance and backed my car into the site. Yah, I was good for the evening! As per normal policy...when you arrive, you pick a campsite and then fill out a slip with your payment and drop it into a safety box. Then the campsite is yours and you can start constructing your tent and getting settled in. It was $22 per night. They accept cash and checks, though no credit cards. Checks must be made out to RRM, Inc. and need to include your Drivers License and License Plate Numbers. There are about 50 non-electric campsites on the grounds each with a fire-pit and picnic table. Check-In time is 2pm and Check-Out time is 11am. Honestly, I really lucked out probably grabbing the 50th and last site. Because in general, throughout this UP section of Michigan I had trouble discovering on a whim available campgrounds that weren't full. I was grateful to be here. Unfortunately there weren't any showers to use, but still...I had cell phone reception and each campsite was really spacious. I felt like I had plenty of privacy being in the woods without anyone around. Two extra notes I'd like to mention... I didn't have plans for the night and across the street from Bay Furnace was the Kewadin Christmas Casino. So...after setting up my tent and washing up...I took a short 15 minute walk outside the campground and went inside the casino and played some blackjack for an hour. It was sort of a pleasant change of pace from driving and picture taking all around the UP, to all of a sudden sitting down and playing blackjack at a random casino. Returning back to my campsite, there was a terrific little overlook vista point section just to the side of the entrance where I sat down on the shore of Lake Superior and admired the colorful sunset. It was a pleasant way to end my day. This panoramic coastline beach shore can't be missed when you're walking towards the facilities area. I highly recommend hanging out here when the sun begins to fade. Although I am a big outdoorsy type of person who loves being among nature...I just really wanted this opportunity to highlight Bay Furnace Camp and Picnic Grounds. Munising, Michigan is well known for its scenic waterfalls combined with picturesque vantage points of Lake Superior that makes this section of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan quite popular. But for those tourists who don't mind setting up camp among quiet surroundings with basic amenities, then I believe you will appreciate choosing to stay at Bay Furnace Campground in the heart of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Concept of yurts and cabins is great. In practice they are much too close together. You can hear…read moreevery sound your neighbor makes whether you want to or not! Weekend nights are drunk fests many lasting into the wee hours. A hassle if u signed up for an early morning paddle or hike.But if you are there to party til u puke and do it loudly this is your kinda place lol. Wifi is very good. Campfire wood sold on nearby lot is mostly hardwood and seasoned. Build and finish of yurts and cabins is better than that of safari tents. Many tents had large rips in canvas walls and alongside main wall zippers allowing entry to too many mosquitoes and flies. The tents offer nice breezy front porches. All beds are hard green plastic covered mattresses - no bueno. Bring your own sleeping pad and comfy sleeping bag or blanket. Also highly recommend bringing own pillow. Pillows supplied look like they need laundering. Campground bathrooms get overwhelmed on weekend days and evenings. Cleanliness suffers . Some campers are gross beasts however Campground staff needs to stay on top of cleanliness and supplies. Campground and office staff are pleasant enough it seems that management is not allowing the campground (bathrooms, fire pits, chairs and grounds) to look first class.

Location 5+ stars, everything else my two star rating is a bit generous…read more The Yurts (tents) are $260 per night. For this price you get a twin over full bunkbed with rubberized mattresses that offer the comfort of rocks. There is no running water in your yurt and one electrical outlet. If you are here with a group and the purpose of your visit is to sit outside drinking by the fire all night, this might be your spot. If you're with the family and want to get a quiet nights sleep, forget about it. There is zero enforcement of "quiet hours". The location, steps from Lake Superior. You can hear the waves all night. This just isn't enough to overcome the price. For almost $300 per night I expect much more glamping than what's offered.

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! I am going to list a couple of pros and cons for this place but no matter what…read morecompany you choose, go kayak pictured rocks. Incredible formations of land that you can't see anywhere else. I lived in Michigan for 20 years and had no idea the Upper Peninsula held the treasures we got to see! Pros: -The guides had a ton of energy and were very patient with the people in our group. We had a great group of good listeners and that helped but our guide was also very flexible and let us veer off into the waters without having to stick super close to us. -The time of day that we went really made a difference. We chose the "sunset" tour so we were able to see the pictures rocks around 4-6pm . Though this is not sunset, it was still pretty to see the sun reflecting off the different colors of the rocks and formations. -the ability to just hop on a bus and hop in a kayak without carrying them helped as well. It just made everything really easy and seamless. Cons: -the bus to the launch off site didn't have A/C which was fine, but we just sat there waiting for other buses to unload and I think that could have been done a little differently. It was too hot to have thirty people sweating in a bus. -tour time said 6 hours but we only kayaked for 3.5 which was fine but maybe make it clear on the site that the bus time would take a hour round trip -I also would have suggested just an hour for lunch, being able to get out and eat our lunch on the beach was great but I didn't need to be there for 1.5 hours, I would have rather done a shorter lunch and gotten back sooner Overall, amazing and an outstanding time we had!

I am honestly disgusted by the complete lack of organization, professionalism, communication, and…read morecustomer service I experienced with Uncle Ducky's / Paddling Michigan. I traveled from out of town for this experience. I spent money on lodging, gas, food, planning, and preparation for this trip -- far more effort and care than your company appeared willing to put into operating the tour itself. I arrived around 15 minutes early for the stated 2:30 PM meet time for the 3:00 PM launch and was immediately met with a completely locked building, no guide present, no organized check-in, no signage, no information regarding equipment, dry bags, footwear, launch procedures, or where guests were even supposed to be. Over the next 20+ minutes, I watched multiple confused guests continue arriving while company-associated employees sat nearby offering little to no proactive information despite clearly knowing the situation. Guests were left wandering around trying to figure out whether the tour was even happening. A shuttle eventually arrived AFTER the meet time had already passed, and when I directly asked for information regarding the tour, I was told they "had to figure that out." That is an absolutely insane thing to hear after guests have already arrived for a guided kayaking excursion. The employees present either had no ability to contact management or were unwilling. Nobody appeared to be in charge. No guide was present. No leadership existed. No confidence was inspired whatsoever. As a former kayaking guide myself, I have never seen a guided outdoor operation run this poorly. If your company is not going to have staff physically present at the meeting location, then guests should be meeting directly at the launch site. At the absolute minimum, the guide should already be there before guests begin arriving. Instead, what I experienced was confusion, silence, disorganization, unprepared employees, and complete operational incompetence from a company responsible for leading people out onto Lake Superior. Considering Lake Superior is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable freshwater lakes in the world, the level of disorganization and lack of professionalism this company displayed was completely unacceptable. At that point I chose not to participate because I had absolutely no confidence in the professionalism or management of the experience. Frankly, I would not trust this company with my outdoor experience if they had the last kayaks on earth. Thankfully, I spent the evening exploring Pictured Rocks and Lake Superior with my dog instead, which ended up being infinitely more enjoyable than wasting my afternoon standing in a parking lot waiting for someone to explain whether the tour was even functioning.

This is a KOA now, which is an embarrassment for KOA. This…read moreis one of the most expensive KOA camping cabins I've ever stayed in. There was no potable water or electric on the exterior. This made cooking and washing a real chore. I found myself dehydrated on 90 degree days because I wasn't drinking enough. The RV site next to us had it. It would be simple to split the spigot. If you have a fire ring, you should have water to extinguish said fire. You have to hike super far for water or bathrooms. There are only three showers for a ton of sites. For $150, this was a joke. There are no hooks or mirror inside or screen door (pretty standard at Kai camping cabins). Pay the extra money and stay at the Econolodge next door for $160. You'll have water, ac, and electricity. We wanted to go camping for the first time with our son. It wasn't worth it for the cabin. We should've just rented it. The campground in Newberry was half the price and worth it.

Needs lots of help...sand..dirt site...driveways....trimming brush, repairing water, electricity…read moreKOA WANNABES! Sorry we stopped cannot recommend in a wonderful town and area. They have to put some money back not out 2 showers only per bathroom for over a hundred sites Needs serious work been coming off and on for years and is only getting worse Don't stop!

Based on other reviews we got lucky when it came to bugs...I do't recall even using our bug spray…read moreand we didn't have any issues. We visited the first week of September, so maybe we just got lucky. My husband talked me into biking the west rim, then cutting down the middle of the island back to the ferry. Around 20 miles. Our rental bikes were a bit tough to use with not much padding on the seat and gears that were difficult to use. My husband's chain came off at one point. The good news is that we made it in just over four hours - I was so worried about missing the last ferry at 6pm, but we actually caught the 5pm ferry. I would love to visit the island again and stay over night so we don't have to race a clock. The bike trails are tough! I'm a decent bike rider, but trail riding is tough for me. I actually was okay for the first 12 miles, but my legs and rear became sore, making the last eight miles tough. I'm super glad that I was able to complete the ride, and once again had we gotten an earlier start and didn't have to worry about catching the ferry back I think I could have relaxed and not been as worried about having to push my bike up and down some tough and washed out trails. The views on the west rim were amazing! I actually wish we would have just turned around and retraced our steps instead of going down the middle of the island to get back, which is mainly a dirt road for atvs. We will be back to explore some more and work on our bike skills!

This was my second time back on the island and I'm still blown away at the beauty! You just can't…read moreput it into words and seems like you are in n a completely different state! I will say it is not an easy hike or bike ride depending on your preference! So please keep in mind age and/or physical health! I've always biked the island and takes around 5 or 6 hours depending on number of stops you take! This is a must see if you are in Munising with a day to burn and you like being physically active! Arrive early so you can get signed up, information filled out and you bike (if renting) and ferry service paid for!

The Munising Falls are about 800 feet from the visitor center. The main path is paved with some…read morewooden bridge areas, but overall it's a smooth trail, definitely family friendly. It follows the stream so you can hear and admire the pretty tannin-stained water. There's a trail to the lower falls which takes you to the level of the plunge pool (and then stairs from that point to a middle vantage point), but also branches to stairs to the upper falls if you want to get another viewpoint. The upper falls trail also winds close to the sandstone cliffs, some of which have been unfortunately defaced by graffiti. Overall this can be a quick stop if you're in a hurry, or you can spend longer if you take some time to absorb your surroundings. Make sure to bring bug repellent since there's plenty of mosquitoes around!

Munising Falls used to be an amazing place you could take the kids and family, now it is pay to…read moreenter, they over charge familys, and is now closed from a storm, honestly you need to make it donation and allow people to enter free of charge again, making locals pay the same as others is neglecting the locals and you take advantage of the people, also the money is not being used to fix it or they would of had it reopen already, Munising falls used to be a dream come true for me as a kid, now it is nothing more then a cash grab slowly sinking into ruins. Do not get your hopes high for this ! used to be so amazing thou...

Clean spot. Centrally located campground. Great place to stay if you are exploring the UP like we…read morewere.

I am sorry to say that I will not stay at Pictured Rocks RV Park in the future…read more I found the lack of trees, the dirt roads, the choice of stones (sharp) used for the camping pads, and the idea of only one men's toilet to be shared by the entire campground very unappealing. Perhaps if improvements are made I will reconsider it.