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Great Places For Lake Michigan Beach Camping
General, National Parks, Traveling With Kids, Trip Ideas & Guides
By Care Willink
With the new Escape Campervan Chicago location opening up, endless travel opportunities are possible in the Midwest! We are so excited to share so many beautiful areas with you to be able and camp right off of the Third Coast!
Our family is actually from Michigan so we are so excited to share about this area with you. For those of you who don’t know, the Third Coast is the Great Lakes region. And, just a short drive from Chicago. While Lake Michigan beach camping would seem like a dream, here are quite a few tricks to being able to do this and we want to help you out!
Lake Michigan Campgrounds To Explore
First of all, you are going to need to plan your road trip itinerary ahead. Even though there are over 3,288 miles of shoreline in Michigan you’ll only find a few campgrounds available to camp along the water. We will list out our favorites and why below!
Holland State Park – Holland, MI (2 hours and 40 min)
There are two parts to this campground. The first look is not on the water and you will have to bike/hike about a mile down to get to the beach. It is a nice area of a campground with hookups and a bathroom. The other area of the campground is right on the beach but the large beach dunes cover the view of the water. You are about a .10 walk to the beach water though with the beautiful lighthouse and beach park. Both areas are close to ice cream shops and a few different fun hikes. The kids will love this area!
Grand Haven State Park – Grand Haven, MI (3 hours and 10 mins)
This is a unique beach campground as you are right in town but also right on the beach! There are many available campsites along the channel and a lot on the beach. If you are lucky enough to snag one you will be able to walk right outside your campervan, right onto the beach!
There are also other campsites in this campground which are still within walking distance to the beach as well. This entire campground is close to the beautiful downtown Grand Haven which offers any local restaurant right on the beach.
Muskegon State Park – Muskegon, MI (3 hours and 25 mins)
This location is truly a secret gem you’ll find. A bit out of town but you’ll find the 2 loops of the campground to have beautiful places right by the water spots. You can also take a bike ride down to 2 different gorgeous beaches and huge dunes to climb! The campgrounds are rustic but have very nice bathrooms, campfire pits, and electric hookups.
Ludington State Park – Ludington, MI (4 hours and 10 mins)
This location isn’t right on the beach while you are camping but is a very short walk away. The water is the bluest you’ve seen and you are a short drive from town. Make sure and check out the famous “House of Flavors“ Ice cream shop! The beaches have a couple of fun parks for kids and many areas to launch a paddleboard or kayak. Campgrounds have nice fire pits, bathrooms, and electric hookups.
Fishermans Island – Charlevoix, MI (6 hours)
This location has mostly “walk-in” campsites where you are right on the water. But if you are in an Escape Campervan you can still stay here and have a short walk to your personal beachfront. Very rustic sites with porta potties and no hookups.
Mackinaw Creek Campground – Mackinaw City, MI (6 hours 30 mins)
This is such a beautiful campground with many beach access spots. Be sure and book a day to visit Mackinaw Island! Some sites have hookups and there are bathrooms.
Straights Campground – St. Ignas, MI (6 hours 44 mins)
This location is absolutely stunning. You can find about 10 sites right on the beach with a beautiful view of Mackinaw Bridge. You can also find about 10 more sights with beach access. If you score any campsites in the campground you still have your own beach access as well. Very clean bathrooms with shower houses. Some sites have hookups while others don’t.
Book A Campervan and Discover Some Great Lake Michigan Beach Campgrounds
We have so much more to share about this insanely beautiful area but for now, start reserving those campsites! Book a campervan and have a great time!