Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.

We stayed two nights at Paradise Cove Campground in July of 2021. My husband and I were looking to…read moreget away for a weekend last minute and after calling around to a handful of places for camping which were all full (last weekend of the Cherry Festival), I reached out to Jerry of Paradise Cove and he was happy to host us. He and his wife, Barb, were so incredibly hospitable and kind - they checked the sites before we booked to make sure they weren't too wet (we had just come off a week with a lot of rain) and that they would accommodate our camper. He met us at the drive when we arrived to make sure we got parked okay (sites are on the smaller side, about 20 feet wide with large trees in between). And he even brought up a fire ring and firewood to our site when we asked about a place to have a fire! As they also own the Paradise Cove restaurant and marina just down the street from the campground, I'm sure they are busy folks and that makes this level of customer service that much more special! Currently the campground is under development, so only a portion of their current 16 sites are ready for use (some don't have electric service and they don't currently take tent or pop-up campers as there are no bathroom facilities). The view of Lake Leelanau from sites 1-10 is beautiful, the road the sites share with the residential neighborhood was quiet and peaceful, and it was a perfect jumping off point for the adventures we wanted to have in the Traverse City, Old Mission Peninsula, Leelanau Peninsula, and Sleeping Bear Dunes area. We look forward to seeing how the campground grows and to a return visit!

Small, quaint and quiet campground. Great view of Lake Leelanau and awesome food at the restaurant.read more

The RV park has a gorgeous spot right on the lake with great amenities like ice cream socials in…read morethe evening, pipe organ concerts, and boats/kayaks you can rent for a day on the water. The people are incredibly friendly and it's only about 25 mins to sleeping bear dunes and 35 mins from downtown traverse city.

We've been coming to LLRVP regularly for over twenty years. We camp all over the US; it's…read moreabsolutely the cleanest, quietest, best run campground I've ever been to, and it's located in a region of spectacular beauty. The owners are wonderful people.

We were unfamiliar with this campground, but we made reservations months in advance for two nights…read moreof tent camping in June, 2023 in Loop 4 (site 418). And, we're so glad that we did. It's a wonderful campground that is well-maintained by the National Park Service. The sites are huge, with a lot of space between you and your neighbors. The pads for pitching your tent are equally large, flat, and sandy -- and each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. The clean bathrooms and showers are down the road, as are heavy duty containers for trash and recycling. The Rangers at the office were very friendly, and helpful. They also warned us to be bear-aware, as bears had been spotted near the campground. (We didn't see any). Unfortunately, there weren't any nature programs during our 2-night stay but we were there mid-week. We were staying at this campground primarily to visit the main sites of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Most of the main attractions (Empire Bluffs hike, Dune Climb, Scenic Drive) are about ten or more miles away. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find a path adjacent to the campground that went down to Lake Michigan (about one mile each way). It mostly flat with walking in sand the closer you get to the lake. You could also drive down to a park at the end of the road. It's a wonderful place to watch the sunset. There are also nearby options for bicycling and kayaking. The campground is a bargain at $26 per night for tent camping. (You also need to pay the entrance fee for the national park). There was a nice mix of other campers ... solos with a dog or two; retirees; and young families. All were quiet and abided to the rules for quiet hours and no generators in loop 4. We also lucked out with respect to the lack of bugs. We had been fighting mosquitos and midges in other wooded areas in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, but hardly had any insect issues at this campground. Two things worth mentioning. (1) Given the warnings about being bear aware, the NPS should consider installing bear boxes at each site for the storage of food and other scented items. (2) Firewood can be purchased at a "vending machine" for $7. While the machine for traditional firewood was working, the one for a composite substitute that we wanted to try had a broken credit card reader (and we didn't have the right denominations to pay cash). Overall, a great trip!

Stayed here with my husband & our friends over the summer & had a great time! The bathrooms &…read morecampsites were clean. The sites themselves are a bit small. With 4 people, 2 tents, & a canopy, we were pretty cramped, but able to make it work! There was a trail leading to a beautiful beach area & Lake Michigan. The place for kayak/canoe rental is a super short drive & is also a general store & ice cream shop! We had such a great time & can't wait to go back! Sites book up REALLY fast, so if you are thinking of booking definitely do it well in advance!

Watch out if you make a reservation then have to cancel. I made reservations for 2 weeks in July -…read moreit is now April. - the deposit was $261 and after cancelling my refund was $63. Hefty price if your plans change. I am not sure how they justify this. I guess just pure greed.

We love to read the one-star reviews as we head into these places. Tells you everything you need to…read moreknow when you read between the lines. This park was beautiful!! We stayed for almost a week. Rolling hills, giant easy spots. Wonderful friendly staff. And as the whiney one-star review told us.... NO KIDS!! No playground. It was absolutely delightful. Thank you!!!

The pictures on the website are deceiving. A lot of sites are tight. We couldn't use our fire pit…read more There isn't much of a beach. When we went into the office to find restaurants or pizza places to deliver, we never cook on arrival day, there were 3 teen girls working that had no clue what was around and looked at us as if we had 3 eyes lol. The permanent residents behind us paid no attention to quiet time and were obnoxiously loud and partying way late, playing corn hole and the whole campsite was lit up. We are not old or prudes and we love to drink and have a good time and can be loud but we do try to keep it under control after quiet time. Luckily our fan was loud enough to drown out the noise. I would have rather have the windows open when possible. We did find a couple of really nice beaches close by. Wifi wasn't great and no internet service if you need that. There were 5 camper/couples and we all agreed, sorry, this campground was not for us.

Quite overpriced for camping without adequate wifi. They technically have wifi, but good luck…read moreconnecting to it from your spot. $75 a night for a plot of dirt for our tent if a bit bonkers. Friendly staff, quiet camp, but the showers (that are rarely used since it's a campground designed for RV's) were full of bugs.

This rustic state park is one of our favorites. The scenery is gorgeous, with miles of sandy and…read morerocky beachfront, walking trails, 5-mile road for biking and spacious wooded lots and a prized few water front lots. There is firewood and ice at the check-in station which is very convenient. T h e grounds are well maintained and the vault toilet stalls are mostly clean (though can become odiferous when the park is full). It is usually the case that visitors to the rustic parks are more respectful of the quiet. We are bird watchers and always love spying the eagles and variety of other birds in the area. Close to the town of Charlevoix, there are plenty of options for sight seeing, eating and finding supplies. Beautiful area of our state.

If you love collecting Michigan rocks, come to this lovely state park. You can take the short trail…read moredown to the water, where you will find rocks om the sand. The park is secluded, and we only saw about 5 others there during the duration of our stay. It appears that because this location is not so heabily populated, you can find some Charlevoix and Petoskey rocks in the water as wel as on the rock bed. You just have to know what to look for. I suggest finding a walking stick for the water. It helps guide you, and it helps you move some rocks. The next time I come here I definitely want to bring a sifter because I saw so many cute tiny ones with the rock pile. My twchnique was to pull the ones near the water down, and I found quite a bit this way. James used the stick to look in the water, where you will find medium to large rocks. Overall the secluded atmosphere is soothing and relaxing.

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.

The sites were nicely kept. We were in site 21 and we could hear the waves crashing on the shore…read morewhich was lovely. Be aware that there are many sites that require walk in to the tent pad. We have a roof top tent so we were super careful not to choose one of those. The only reason for 4 stars - when we checked in the ranger was adamant that we properly store our food because there are bears / raccoons. No issue for us. We understand the importance and always store all food items and toiletries in the locked car. The on-site dumpsters however, were overflowing with trash.

This was my first trip here and I had a great time. If you are looking for a fully amenity type…read morecamp ground this is not the place for you. It has running water and pit toilets. Some sites allow generator usage but only during the day. The whole camp ground is right on Lake Michigan and from the site I was at you could hear the waves which was relaxing. There's a short path down to the beach and when the moon isn't ruining it there are spectacular views of the stars and Milky Way. The heritage trail runs through the camp which adds a little to the foot traffic but it's not bad at all. The only thing you might want to try and check on before picking a site would be were it os relative to its parking spot. At the site I was at there was a small and short incline and after days of hiking and dune climbing it started to kick my butt. Other sites had no inline, some had longer and higher ones. Just something to be aware of. Overall it's a good camp, close to a lot of fun things to see and do, and it was a good price for me. It's also pet friendly as is the beach directly in front of it. Id stay here again.