I stopped in here for half a day to do some hiking and get my nature fix before moving on to my…read morenext road trip destination. The road to the entrance is full of sand dunes and beaches on Lake Michigan before turning into a wooded area at the actual park. We got to see a Bald Eagle perched upon a tree as we entered the park. The park has several RV camp sites that to me looked to be right on top of each other. They pack them in like sardines but I think that is the norm at these type of places these days. Not sure what the cost is to camp but for non-residents to come in for a day pass it was 11.00 per day. We decided to do the Lost Lake trail which is a loop across a couple islands on Hamlin Lake (yes there are bridges, you don't need to bring your snorkel). The hike was relatively void of people only passing a few along the way. I did see a hand full of people kayaking on the lake and a few more kayaks parked on the bank near the campground. The hike is 2.1 miles long and relatively flat the whole way. I wanted to do the lighthouse trail as well but there wasn't enough time. Great place to get your nature fix via kayak or foot. Not sure I would want to camp here on a weekend though unless you want Billy Bob and Mary Sue's 7 rugrats running around your site screaming.

My bestie and I spent 2 days here camping in her Winnebago. Each site is very scenic and spacious,…read morewith beautiful forest surrounding you. The amenities are wonderful. Bathrooms and showers are spacious and clean. Staff is courteous and very helpful, as well.

Love this area! Just north of Ludington with way less traffic and completely different adventures!…read moreYou can walk in and camp basically right on the beach here, which is absolutely dreamy and there are just such wonderful hiking trails throughout that offer you challenges and just the most gorgeous sights as well! This spot definitely isn't for everyone and there won't be any "easy" hikes. Nordhouse Dunes makes you work for it, but the payoff is immense and completely worth it! Uninterrupted access to Lake Michigan and stunning vibes - what more could you ask for?! Love Nordhouse Dunes!!

It's crowded but the hike is nice. We were there the first week of September and I was surprised to…read moresee the campground full of campers. I got some great shots with my cannon and my kids enjoyed the hike...it was longer than we thought it would be!

My friends and I were supposed to go to a music festival out of the state last fall but of course…read moreplans changed, so we decided to book a camping weekend at Orchard Beach State Park instead. Located in Manistee, there is plenty to do nearby but unfortunately the weather was pretty rainy for most of the weekend we were there. The access to the beach was closed due to erosion but there are other beaches available. Checking in was easy and there is onsite ice and firewood for sale. The host site was awesome with lots of books for use and a whiteboard with local info. Our site had water and electric hookup, so we were tucked in amongst several RVs and motor homes. The campground was very quiet, which was nice! The restroom facilities were clean and functional, although one had a small set of stairs leading into the actual bathroom area which made it not so accessible. We were on spot 95, which is right near the highway. We knew this going in and could see from the photos that it didn't look that close. Well, it was pretty close, and very loud with road noise. This wasn't a big deal for us but if noise bothers you I'd skip this part of the campground. Another thing to note is that some of the sites hold water when it's been raining, so maybe not the best for tent camping. Our site seemed ok but it was mostly dirt so it did get a little muddy. Nothing too terrible, though. Overall we enjoyed our stay but this definitely wasn't my favorite of the state parks we've visited or camped at. There is a nice lookout point over the lake that made for some nice photos, and getting into town was easy.

Small compared to other state parks across Michigan, but a stunning state park nonetheless located…read moreon bluffs above Lake Michigan! The campground is wonderful and we really loved that it was one that was more underrated and less trafficked. We had a prime camping spot with an uninterrupted view of the lake and even though the weather we had during this weekend wasn't the best, we made do with cozy time in the tent, did a hike through the state park that was lovely and well maintained, and explored the nearby downtown of Manistee, of which Orchard Beach State Park is located just 5-10 minutes north! A wonderful weekend and state park in my books!

Stayed here over a weekend with friends. We rented a cabin while our friends had a camping area…read morewith the RV. Easy to check in and out. Great location for all the things to do in the area. Cabin was well furnished and well maintained. Dog friendly and quiet

I was extremely happy front he time I called them to see about booking the cabin til the time I…read moreleft! We got there super late due to unforeseen events. To my surprise the owners texted to check on our progress. Not once did they ever have anything but a positive attitudes. We made it in and got settled very late. The time difference had us off slightly. The whole cabin was well furnished and extremely clean. It was very roomy and came with amenities most 5 star hotels don't! I was completely shocked at the experience and have now found a new place for my family to go whenever we feel a need to "get away", which is often! Upon our departure, the owner was even nicer than when we first met! I am so pleased with this place I will recommend you trying it out for yourself. If you don't like your first night is on me! ***Wink wink*** Make sure to check in for great coupons and little bonus gifts. Customer service 5 Location 5 Quality 5 Prices 5 Cleanliness 5 Overall 5 stars!!!

This was my first time in Ludington. I have heard so much about it, and I was excited to finally…read moremake it here. My friend said this is his favorite westside town. I was impressed my the marina and the great beach. The beach was super busy and we found our way to the lighthouse. It's a bit of a walk so be prepared to bring comfortable shoes. We enjoyed watching the ships come into port. If you happen to be out this way, I highly suggest making a trip out to the lighthouse. Not only is it a beautiful backdrop, it's also a great place to take pictures.

A very tough…read morelighthouse The very first lighthouse in the area was established in 1871 but didn't last very long and was washed away in a huge storm a few years later. Since Ludington was becoming an extremely important harbor a new and stronger light was obviously needed. Debates about whether to put the new lighthouse on the south or north pier raged for years, and the exact kind of lighthouse was also a very contentious subject. So of course nothing got done. Finally around 1924 the present lighthouse was constructed at the end of the half mile north concrete pier. Since the area is know for very intense and powerful storms, the engineers wanted to make sure the lighthouse was strong enough to withstand anything that the howling gales of Lake Michigan could throw at it. So they went all out when they designed and built this light. The lighthouse is constructed with a steel frame in addition to steel plating added to the outside. And to increase the structural integrity of the lighthouse a strange looking prow, similar to that on a large ship, was added at the bottom to deflect the larger waves. Pretty cool looking and when viewed from a distance, almost makes the lighthouse seem like it's sailing across the horizon. The fourth order Fresnel Lens was removed and is passed around to various local maritime museums. The lighthouse can be reached by walking out to the end of the half mile pier but going out they in storms and blizzards is probably not a good idea. During the summer the lighthouse is open and for five bucks the public can climb the 53 stairs to the top. Certainly not the tallest, biggest, oldest or most important lighthouse in Michigan but with the steel plates added over the steel frame and the addition of the cool prow, this is definitely one of the very toughest and strongest lighthouses anywhere.

Very popular public boat ramp in Mainstee. Small fee to park your trailer here and police do come…read moreby and check them. There is also a small pier for shore fishing and public bathroom.

A small park with a working boat ramp, dock, and clean bathrooms…read more A good number of truck and trailer parking spots and sports a beautiful vista.

We had a great time! Staff was super helpful and it was well run! Easy pickup & drop offread more

Having rented canoes from several other places across the country, I can't say I've ever been as…read moreimpressed as I was with Baldwin Canoe Rental. They were AWESOME!!! Since we were staying at Bowman Bridge Campground on the Marquette River, my wife and I wanted to avoid driving back and forth between Baldwin at the start and end of our trip, especially after a few delicious river Oberons. I sent them an email and Troy was quick to respond. They were able to pick us up at our campsite the next morning (on time!) and take us straight to the launch. Not needing to stop in the rental office was greatly appreciated as was the fact that they take care of the river permits for you! Even better was that when we got back to the campground, we didn't need to call and wait for a pickup. We simply put the canoe up on a rack and continued on with our day! It looked like they have staff and buses at each of the major stops of the river, ready to help out and transport any groups as they came in and every employee we ran into was super friendly. Seriously, I can't say enough about how great of a livery this place was! It's a seriously well-run operation that made our little weekend getaway so much more enjoyable!

It's an all new and improved Ivan's! New owners Dave and Kelly turned Ivan's into a gem of an…read moreup-north camping experience. Sites offer electric and water hookups. Don't like tents or RVs?--try one of their several cabins. A newly renovated bath house offers warm showers. And they just keep adding things to the playground--our group's kids never left! Ice. firewood, and more are available at their quaint camp store. We always feel lucky to return every July.

Had a great time at Ivan's this weekend! First, making…read morereservations was a breeze...easy and helpful staff... The absolutely adorable Naomi was ever so helpful with all of my inane questions! :-) The rates are extremely reasonable $60 per night for a cabin that slept 4...perfect! Now Ivan's does canoeing, but us ladies were tubing it, so we did not use Ivan's fleet of vehicles to get us to and from the river, but they were there... The cabins were clean, for camping cabins, so no complaints there... My one downer note for the weekend was that the cabins are placed along the front of the campsite, which sits right on M-37, so as we tried to enjoy ourselves at our campfire, we also had to fight the sound of constant traffic too...it got kind of annoying after the seventh semi flew by...there's also an ambulance station about a mile north...and you guessed it...lot's-O-ambulances too.... So...in all reality, I'd probably not stay at Ivan's again...but I'd reccommend them in a heart beat!