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State Parks aren't just for the summer. As a matter of fact, the winter may not be the most ideal time but you sure do get to see things from a different perspective. Lake Michigan is amazing in itself but climbing the sand dunes and enjoying the views from the ice formations on the lake was humbling. Bundle up and make sure you have your big boy boots on. Not only are the views spectacular but also you can be a dangerous slip away from freezing to death! We can't wait to come back in the summer to see the transformation back to "normal". Cheers to Van Buren because the view is a beautiful one!
Van Buren State Park is located in south west Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan. These shores are a soft sand, much like an ocean beach. Dunes make for some beautiful scenery. There are sections with rocks. Water was warm enough to swim in. Dogs are allowed on the beach. The beach is within walking distance of the campgrounds. The walk is steep at parts. Campground sites are rather close together. Some sites are separated by trees. Other sites have no real separation/privacy. Our site (65) was surrounded by trees on three sides. The site was still very sunny until about 6:30 pm. That was late June/ early July. Each site has it's own firepit. Bathrooms were old. Not grading the park down for this. When I made our reservation for the campsite there were notifications that the campsite will be closing in the fall (2021) for renovations. Going in, I knew the facilities would be older. They were still functioning. More than a campsite, Van Buren State Park has all the hiking and biking trails one expects from a state park. There are picnic shelters that may be reserved. Reservations for the shelter or website may be made on the Michigan State Parks website.
This is our first stay at this campground, staying over the Fourth of July weekend. The sites are very nice sized with both shaded and sunny campsites available. They just replaced all of their bathroom and shower houses, they did an excellent job with setting up the new facilities. This place is electric only with a dump station and fresh water available as you enter the campground. Getting to Lake Michigan is a very easy walk with a great beach as a reward when you get to the end of your walk. There is a shower to rinse off after you're done with the beach and bathrooms also available.
With so many state parks to choose from for camping, sometimes it's hard to decide where to go! Each year my friends and I choose a new place for a couple of nights of tent camping. Van Buren State Park was our pick this year as it is close to Grand Rapids and had electricity and showers per request by one friend who doesn't like to rough it as much :) The camping area of the park is large, with two loops for both tent camping and trailer/RV camping. We reserved two sites online and they were pretty good, you don't have a view of the water but the beach is a quick walk away. The sites were large enough for two tents and a canopy over the picnic table. Note that there is a limit of two cars per site - we had a park ranger stop by when we were unloading to let us know. There are several parking lots around that are available if you need extra parking. The sites are pretty close together but we didn't really have any issues. There were lots of families and large groups when we were there, so you probably won't get a secluded, private, quiet campsite here. The restroom and shower facilities were clean (I saw people cleaning them at least twice in the two days I was there) and nice to have. They sell ice and firewood, each are $5 though so load up on ice elsewhere to save some cash. We decided to head to the beach one afternoon and missed the flat, easy path - we ended up hiking up a pretty steep dune, but the view at the top was well worth it! We found the easy path on our way back (it's near the water conditions flag). The beach is pretty narrow at this point, but not too crowded further down from the flag. The first part of the water is really rocky so be careful as they can be slippery! The water was awesome and the beach was great. You're a short drive from South Haven for entertainment, shopping, and restaurants/bars!
Beautiful state park with plenty of parking, picnic tables, volleyball areas, rest rooms and access to the beach. Serene and peaceful. This is located fairly close to the highway so it was a convenient stop. There were many families who were camping there. The path to the beach was quite steep and rocky so that was a bit unexpected but it was a pleasant experience.
This review is for the camping as well. Everyone was super friendly in the park and on the camping grounds. It's $8/day for out of state cars and it was $50 for two nights of camping. The campground is beautiful with a lot of tall trees. The bathroom facilities were fair but could use an update. They also had separate co-ed showers so you had to wait sometimes to get into a shower but it wasn't bad. The host site had coffee and hot chocolate in the morning and they held nature walks daily to learn more about the state park. This would probably be fun for kids. Dogs are not allowed on the beach and so my husband and I just took our dog North of where most of the people were. Only one dog-hater said something to us but everyone else was nice and didn't care that our dog was enjoying the cool water too. I think this will be another yearly camping destination!
I don't know where to start. I love and hate this park. We are on our second night here and I'm ready to leave. The noise level of car/RV doors slamming, people talking and kids yelling make it hard to relax at 10pm MI time. No one is considerate of their noise level or barking dogs thus far. Not a place for families with little ones - it's a miracle my 3rd old is still asleep. Oh and I96 can be heard all night long. I really don't know how people say this place is not busy or is "well known" - campground is 100% full per the Host. Bathrooms are dated and need repair, but are functional. I enjoyed the shower, plenty of warm water and water pressure. The playground is disappointing and dated as well. As for what I love about this park - the sites are plenty big and semi private. We have two tents and an SUV on our lot. We are staying in site #188 and like it a lot. The bundles of firewood are generous for what you pay. We love South Haven and St Joseph and each are easy to get to via a scenic drive on Blue Star Hwy. If the bathroom facilities were nicer I'd probably give this 4 stars. I don't know if we will be back due to noise level and lack of updated facilities :-(
Great place to build good family memories. The place to go for relaxation. Weekday camping is much better with less people. Try to investigate first the campsite as to some sites offer no shades or low ground and can have puddle of water when it rain.
Very nice, well maintained camp ground and park. Partially wooded campsites, however, very close to one another. My husband and I try to camp through the week so we don't experience the heavy influx of campers over the weekend. With that said, we camped Sunday through Tuesday, the first week of October, and it was pretty empty, with only a handful of campers. The campground was quiet, though you could hear the highway pretty well when the wind was blowing the right way. If it's bothersome through the night, bring earplugs. The bathrooms were nicely maintained and had private showers, which is always a plus! I was not impressed with the fire rings. Very thick and deep, with double corrugated metal rings reinforced with concrete. It did not allow enough airflow to feed the fire, nor did they have adjustable grills integrated into the ring for open fire cooking, as I've experienced in other state parks. I enjoy cooking over an open fire, so I always travel with a portable fire grill. We got through the first night, but resorted to our camp stove for the following breakfast. The beach had large amount of parking. Well maintained bathroom and concession facility, with a nice playground. However, if you're looking for the beach, there wasn't any to speak of, as it has eroded away. However, there were sandy hiking paths and majestic dunes along the shore to tuck oneself away. One could always go down to the South Haven beaches , which are nice and deep! The town is fairly close, and has a lot to offer with shopping, restaurants and taverns. Wine tasting is always a must! Lots of outdoor activities, and known for their bike trails, through wooded landscapes! Overall, it was a pleasant experience. If we find ourselves in the South Haven area again. We would frequent this campground again.
What a lovely state park Van Buren is! The beach is well tilled and picturesque. The facilities are clean, and they have those beach showers to wash off your feet or full body. We took a sojourn down to the shores of Lake Michigan here and dipped our toes in the water. Lots of Lake Michigan rocks I recommend wearing your water shoes.
Bathrooms older but good. Sites are decent. Bike trail from park was the best feature for us given we had a runner with us and we bike. We road from park to Grand Junction via VanBuren connector and KalHaven. Runner ran into South Haven on trail. I would camp here again. COVID precautions were good.
1 month ago
This campground is perfect for families or solo campers getting away for a couple days or even a week or two. Its a big campground, ive met people here that book a year in advance and make it a yearly family reunion. Most campers are couples/ families. Remember to book as soon as possible this place is popular! A campsite is around $50 with electric and dont forget to get a sticker for Michigan state parks, it is required. This price is super reasonable for all you get and its dog friendly! Sites vary in size, but lots of options. The campground is super clean and well maintained (yes, even the bathrooms and showers.) I came across this gem of a campground a few years ago and I have been returning yearly. Van Buren is only about 10 minutes from South Haven so you can enjoy both vibes! They have their own gorgeous beach just a few minutes walk from your campsite and on the way there is a beautiful walk with a big and clean bathhouse right next to the beach and free life vests for all the little kids. Did i mention this campground is dog friendly!? I love bringing my furry family member here. The grounds are calm, quiet and the people are super nice. The staff is never too far away keeping an eye on things. I always feel safe here. There is a daily activity sheet and the campground host is very accessible and they have a little area right before you drive into the camp with information pamphlets and little things to look at. Hiking, biking, dunes, vollyball, beach, dunes & close to south Haven and a beautiful place to chill out at the end of the day at your campsite or RV with a nice fire and good friends. Van Buren Campground exceeded all my expectations and I hope it does the same for you. read more
Depending on the weather, this beach can be very rocky, or very sandy, and often both. This is a great beach for rock hunting anytime, and even if it's extra rocky because of heavy rain or wind, there's still nice sandy areas of beach. There's also one very large dune area that takes quite an effort to climb, but is very fun. read more
On the recommendation of folks at the main Park Headquarters, we walked through the woods on one of the few trails here, all leading to sandy bluffs that rise above Lake Michigan. We were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the truly colorful shades of blue of the Lake. Combined, the trails are only about 3 miles in length since this is a narrow, alongside-the-lake State Park & the trails go from the main roadway, to the top of the bluffs & then back again to the roadway. Further down that roadway is a campground, a good amount of parking, a playground, picnic tables, grills, open fields, and, the best part of all, the mile long beach, which is comprised of super soft sand, space to stretch out, a not-as-enjoyable view of a water treatment plant, & the fun of collecting smooth, soft stones that dot the beach, The waters of Lake Michigan don't come much above your waist for a good 75-100 feet, so it's easy to stay cool while you stand around with sisters (that was us!), and others. Parking is $11/day read more
8 years ago
State Parks aren't just for the summer. As a matter of fact, the winter may not be the most ideal time but you sure do get to see things from a different perspective. Lake Michigan is amazing in itself but climbing the sand dunes and enjoying the views from the ice formations on the lake was humbling. Bundle up and make sure you have your big boy boots on. Not only are the views spectacular but also you can be a dangerous slip away from freezing to death! We can't wait to come back in the summer to see the transformation back to "normal". Cheers to Van Buren because the view is a beautiful one! read more
Van Buren State Park is located in south west Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan. These shores are a soft sand, much like an ocean beach. Dunes make for some beautiful scenery. There are sections with rocks. Water was warm enough to swim in. Dogs are allowed on the beach. The beach is within walking distance of the campgrounds. The walk is steep at parts. Campground sites are rather close together. Some sites are separated by trees. Other sites have no real separation/privacy. Our site (65) was surrounded by trees on three sides. The site was still very sunny until about 6:30 pm. That was late June/ early July. Each site has it's own firepit. Bathrooms were old. Not grading the park down for this. When I made our reservation for the campsite there were notifications that the campsite will be closing in the fall (2021) for renovations. Going in, I knew the facilities would be older. They were still functioning. More than a campsite, Van Buren State Park has all the hiking and biking trails one expects from a state park. There are picnic shelters that may be reserved. Reservations for the shelter or website may be made on the Michigan State Parks website. read more
4 years ago
This is our first stay at this campground, staying over the Fourth of July weekend. The sites are very nice sized with both shaded and sunny campsites available. They just replaced all of their bathroom and shower houses, they did an excellent job with setting up the new facilities. This place is electric only with a dump station and fresh water available as you enter the campground. Getting to Lake Michigan is a very easy walk with a great beach as a reward when you get to the end of your walk. There is a shower to rinse off after you're done with the beach and bathrooms also available. read more
With so many state parks to choose from for camping, sometimes it's hard to decide where to go! Each year my friends and I choose a new place for a couple of nights of tent camping. Van Buren State Park was our pick this year as it is close to Grand Rapids and had electricity and showers per request by one friend who doesn't like to rough it as much :) The camping area of the park is large, with two loops for both tent camping and trailer/RV camping. We reserved two sites online and they were pretty good, you don't have a view of the water but the beach is a quick walk away. The sites were large enough for two tents and a canopy over the picnic table. Note that there is a limit of two cars per site - we had a park ranger stop by when we were unloading to let us know. There are several parking lots around that are available if you need extra parking. The sites are pretty close together but we didn't really have any issues. There were lots of families and large groups when we were there, so you probably won't get a secluded, private, quiet campsite here. The restroom and shower facilities were clean (I saw people cleaning them at least twice in the two days I was there) and nice to have. They sell ice and firewood, each are $5 though so load up on ice elsewhere to save some cash. We decided to head to the beach one afternoon and missed the flat, easy path - we ended up hiking up a pretty steep dune, but the view at the top was well worth it! We found the easy path on our way back (it's near the water conditions flag). The beach is pretty narrow at this point, but not too crowded further down from the flag. The first part of the water is really rocky so be careful as they can be slippery! The water was awesome and the beach was great. You're a short drive from South Haven for entertainment, shopping, and restaurants/bars! read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
Beautiful state park with plenty of parking, picnic tables, volleyball areas, rest rooms and access to the beach. Serene and peaceful. This is located fairly close to the highway so it was a convenient stop. There were many families who were camping there. The path to the beach was quite steep and rocky so that was a bit unexpected but it was a pleasant experience. read more
This review is for the camping as well. Everyone was super friendly in the park and on the camping grounds. It's $8/day for out of state cars and it was $50 for two nights of camping. The campground is beautiful with a lot of tall trees. The bathroom facilities were fair but could use an update. They also had separate co-ed showers so you had to wait sometimes to get into a shower but it wasn't bad. The host site had coffee and hot chocolate in the morning and they held nature walks daily to learn more about the state park. This would probably be fun for kids. Dogs are not allowed on the beach and so my husband and I just took our dog North of where most of the people were. Only one dog-hater said something to us but everyone else was nice and didn't care that our dog was enjoying the cool water too. I think this will be another yearly camping destination! read more
12 years ago
I don't know where to start. I love and hate this park. We are on our second night here and I'm ready to leave. The noise level of car/RV doors slamming, people talking and kids yelling make it hard to relax at 10pm MI time. No one is considerate of their noise level or barking dogs thus far. Not a place for families with little ones - it's a miracle my 3rd old is still asleep. Oh and I96 can be heard all night long. I really don't know how people say this place is not busy or is "well known" - campground is 100% full per the Host. Bathrooms are dated and need repair, but are functional. I enjoyed the shower, plenty of warm water and water pressure. The playground is disappointing and dated as well. As for what I love about this park - the sites are plenty big and semi private. We have two tents and an SUV on our lot. We are staying in site #188 and like it a lot. The bundles of firewood are generous for what you pay. We love South Haven and St Joseph and each are easy to get to via a scenic drive on Blue Star Hwy. If the bathroom facilities were nicer I'd probably give this 4 stars. I don't know if we will be back due to noise level and lack of updated facilities :-( read more
7 years ago
Great place to build good family memories. The place to go for relaxation. Weekday camping is much better with less people. Try to investigate first the campsite as to some sites offer no shades or low ground and can have puddle of water when it rain. read more
7 years ago
Very nice, well maintained camp ground and park. Partially wooded campsites, however, very close to one another. My husband and I try to camp through the week so we don't experience the heavy influx of campers over the weekend. With that said, we camped Sunday through Tuesday, the first week of October, and it was pretty empty, with only a handful of campers. The campground was quiet, though you could hear the highway pretty well when the wind was blowing the right way. If it's bothersome through the night, bring earplugs. The bathrooms were nicely maintained and had private showers, which is always a plus! I was not impressed with the fire rings. Very thick and deep, with double corrugated metal rings reinforced with concrete. It did not allow enough airflow to feed the fire, nor did they have adjustable grills integrated into the ring for open fire cooking, as I've experienced in other state parks. I enjoy cooking over an open fire, so I always travel with a portable fire grill. We got through the first night, but resorted to our camp stove for the following breakfast. The beach had large amount of parking. Well maintained bathroom and concession facility, with a nice playground. However, if you're looking for the beach, there wasn't any to speak of, as it has eroded away. However, there were sandy hiking paths and majestic dunes along the shore to tuck oneself away. One could always go down to the South Haven beaches , which are nice and deep! The town is fairly close, and has a lot to offer with shopping, restaurants and taverns. Wine tasting is always a must! Lots of outdoor activities, and known for their bike trails, through wooded landscapes! Overall, it was a pleasant experience. If we find ourselves in the South Haven area again. We would frequent this campground again. read more
10 years ago
What a lovely state park Van Buren is! The beach is well tilled and picturesque. The facilities are clean, and they have those beach showers to wash off your feet or full body. We took a sojourn down to the shores of Lake Michigan here and dipped our toes in the water. Lots of Lake Michigan rocks I recommend wearing your water shoes. read more
6 years ago
6 years ago
Bathrooms older but good. Sites are decent. Bike trail from park was the best feature for us given we had a runner with us and we bike. We road from park to Grand Junction via VanBuren connector and KalHaven. Runner ran into South Haven on trail. I would camp here again. COVID precautions were good. read more
Spent a night hammock camping - it was pretty cold in May! The park has clean and easily accessible bathrooms by the campground and beach. The beach isn't large, but mainly rocky. However, there are lovely dunes for climbing with beautiful views! There is a paved path running from the park to South Haven (5-6 miles) which was a great walk - would be faster by wheels (rollerblades or bikes). We enjoyed walking there and back though. We didn't see much wildlife, other than squirrels, chipmunks and birds. read more
4 years ago
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Nice quiet campground. Most of the campsites are large and somewhat divided. Bath houses are decently clean. Very nice beach. Great experience. read more
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