Great time on the river today. How it works, show up, pay with cash or cc, they ferry you up to the…read moreForks State forest campground then you take the river back to Ranch Rudolph. Easy peasy. Cost, 58$, 20$ deposit for equipment (kayak, cushion, paddle). Faster river. We did see families, youth, seniors, all ages. We didn't have life jackets, but felt safe. It's fairly shallow most of the way. Really clear and natural, a lot of debris and overhanging branches. You can kayak, canoe, or tube. Colder water, but it was a bit windy today so that made it a little tricky. No worries. Front desk lady was cordial.

Bathrooms are disgusting. They weren't cleaned for the entire week we were there. Showers full of…read morebugs and spiders, floors and toilets filthy. Pool was dirty with a lot of floating debris. Had to ask for them to open it daily and they even asked us to do it a few times. Owner is not polite and has no customer skills. We went here years ago and it has really gotten run down since our last visit. Stayed at the campground and the water is orange it is so hard with rust. If the price were reasonable it would be a different story, but the price for what you get is ridiculous. And, now they have a "resort fee" also!!

Great place to camp a week or so and do outdoorsy stuff or go to the casinos, Traverse City,…read moreSleeping Bear Dunes and some small but bustling towns on the shores of Lake Michigan. The facilities are very modern, well kept and you have plenty of room on your flat gravel site. The bathrooms are excellent as are the showers. They don't have a store per se, but there is a gas station, convenience store at the exit to the park. There is a section with seasonal campers, but week to week rigs also are in their own section. There are sites with some shade, but not so many trees to make it hard to pull through or have your awning open. The people were a mix of young people, older couples and families. We would stay there again.

Place is very clean, groundskeepers here do an awesome job. Would recommend this place, seems like…read morethey're usually pretty well booked so call in advance

Been using Chippewa landing for 8 years. Always had a good experience. We use them for the liberty…read moreof our boats to drop off points for kayak/camping weekends. Prices are reasonable, and staff is kind and helpful.

Very nice operation here. Tucked away on a stretch of the Manistee well back from the main roads,…read morewhich makes it nice and quiet. We didn't camp, but I can see where it would be a pleasant place to stay. Once we paid for our rental, we were quickly whisked away by van for our 5 hour float. Driver was very personable, gave us good advice about the trip. We really enjoyed the river. Saw no one else out paddling until we got near Chippewa Landing again. Hardly a sound along the way but the wind in the trees. There were quite a few sharp bends and log jams to negotiate, but nothing you can't handle with basic canoeing skills. Definitely not the kind of river where you can casually drift along sipping a beer, though. Would never have a problem renting with this outfit again.

Timbers Rd, just before long lake. I saw maybe 15-20ppl out walking while I went this past Sunday…read more And, one of em was someone I knew, small towns. This property is under the gtrlc umbrella. So, it's a recreation area. Non-motorized activities are good: fishing, winter sports, hiking et al. There's frontage on long lake, not much beach, more natural. Then, there's a trail looping a lake on the property, fern lake. Old buildings boarded up, some benches. Neat place.

Great well maintained state forest campground. Seems to be pretty popular with the hiking, biking…read moreand cross country skiing trails. You have views of Lake Ann lake and Platte River. Boat launch near by and huge shaded camp sites at the campground. Some have views of the lake. No electricity, but water pumps and vaulted toilets. We love the trails as they are super close to our house. Trails seem to be well marked on the trees. Nice fire pits and tables.

This RV resort is incredible! We checked in Thursday evening at the reception desk. The ladies were…read moreexceptionally friendly and informative. Our welcome packet had everything we needed for the holiday weekend. She called for our escort and he showed up on a golf cart and even guided my husband onto the patio. Our 4 night stay turned into 10 day on multiple spot the facilities are great. It's central to Glen Arbor, the Dunes, traverse city and wineries on the peninsula. We will definitely be back and soon.

We rented the rustic cabin. No electricity or water or anything else. Opened the door and it…read moresmelled very musty. Should have marched right back to the office and asked for something else. Sleep on a wooden platform that did have a lower grade mattress. Sticky floor. That first night there was a critter under the cabin that kept me awake. They found nothing, but did see evidence of digging. I asked for my money back for nights two and three, but the lady at the desk said that she could not control the critters. Stay night two and then we were out of there. Never going back, EVER!! Don't waste your money. $80/ night for a smelly, nasty cabin. Go anywhere else, but not here'.

Easy to find, good communication. Good amount of bathrooms and trash cans spread out. Campsite was…read moreclean. Personally prefer above ground campfires for ease of physicality and cooking

For any outdoor enthusiasts exploring around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...I highly…read morerecommend staying here at Empire Township Campground!! Yes...I discovered it through the trusty ole app on my phone called CAMPENDIUM! In fact, I've used Campendium to locate plenty of campsites, RV Trailer Parks and rest stops along my plenty of travels these last few years. Definitely...if you're an adventurer...download Campendium. And what's great about it is that you can find campsites at the last minute/spur of the moment. That's how I came upon this Empire Township Campground. After driving all day to Sleeping Bear Dunes...I knew I needed a place to camp out because there weren't many accommodations offered in the area. Campendium mentioned to just show up here and it's first come, first served. I visited back in late May of this year 2021. The camp host was very friendly. She mentioned had I visited over the weekend, the campsites would have been full. So fortunately, I showed up on a Tuesday evening and there were plenty of spaces available. There were 60 campsites for me to choose from. The host handed me a map and told me to pick a site that was unoccupied and then return to the entrance where she'd secure my reservation. I picked Site #6 located right near the shower house. It was $25 per night for primitive camping. Having already planned out my Sleeping Bear Dunes itinerary ahead of time...I booked for 2 nights here for $50. So...I'd spend the first night here, hang out all day at Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore the following day, return back here for my 2nd evening, and then finish up my explorations of the area the last day and eventually move onto my next destination. For being here for 2 nights...I surprisingly planned out everything perfectly! Here are some details about this Empire Township Campground... It's located 5 miles outside the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor Center and the quiet little town of Empire, Michigan. My cell phone reception worked perfectly so I was able to watch a movie inside my tent one night before going to sleep. They have 3 showers. But...bring quarters with you as they charge .50 cents for every 3 minutes of hot water use. I used $1.50 and took my time cleaning off for 9 minutes. Outside the shower house there were a few electrical outlets which allowed me to plug in my phone and generator to grab some power. They actually offered AMP Power at some sites. In fact, I probably should have paid extra (which I'm sure wouldn't have cost much) for the accessible AMP Power. Oh well, my bad. My campsite #6 featured plenty of space and room. I felt like I was in the heart of nature and far enough away from other campers to have some privacy. The whole setting here was really pleasant. The camp host does sell ice to keep drinks cold as well as firewood to ignite flames for chilly evenings. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Also, charcoal grills are allowed as well. One night I barbecued some hot dogs during a scenic sunset. There's also dump stations for RV's. For locating this Empire Township Campground...simply plug the name into Google Maps and you'll have no issues finding it. They have real toilets for when using the bathroom, not vault toilets or porta potties. That's always a nice aspect. I can't think of anything else to say other than my 2 night experience here was quite memorable for all the good reasons. For anyone interested in getting ready to explore the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan and heading north, I highly suggest making Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a priority to visit and choosing this Empire Township Campground as a your place for enjoying nights in the great outdoors.

When visiting within 50 miles of the Soo, get yourself to the Twilight Walking Tours. Do not pass…read morethe city, do not collect dinner or luggage. All you need is your camera and, at the height of summer, pre-purchased tickets if you don't show up early. The Coulings run a brilliant walking tour of the historic downtown core of Sault Ste. Marie on the US side. Unlike the typical historical or architectural tour, they blend spooky ghost stories with folk songs and brilliant anecdotes that only a couple deeply passionate about the Upper Peninsula could conjure. They are excellent storytellers with rich personal histories and backgrounds -- like serving on tall ships -- which brings their tales and yarns alive. Groups twist through the backways and side roads of the city, stopping at restaurants and bookstores while learning about the speakeasies, smugglers, and seedier underbelly of the city. Much attention is placed around the Prohibition and Depression, although ghost stories stretch back as long as settlers fought their way down St. Mary's River. Stop at one of the many restaurants on the way back or snag a few souvenirs in the shops you pass when the tour is done. On a beautiful, starry night, there's little which compares to the city's regal, lovely appearance as embellished by a pair of incredibly gifted storytellers. The walking tour is suitable for older children and the elderly, though it covers a fair amount of ground in the city center. The stories are not heartstoppingly spooktacular, though certain alleyways and basements will leave descriptive images implanted in your memory for weeks to come.

My wife and I recently visited Traverse City for vacation and wanted to learn more about ghost…read morestories/history of Michigan. We signed up for a Twilight Walking Tour led by the Coulings and were blown away by the amount of details that was put into the tales. They did an excellent job making the stories come alive and made it very entertaining. We recommend this tour group to anyone!