This island is definitely worth the ferry rides to get there. You can tour the lighthouse and hike…read morethe entire island. The lighthouse attendants are so friendly and knowledgeable. Very beautiful place to see.

Rock Island is, well, rocky. Make sure you have sturdy soled shoes or hiking boots because hiking…read morearound without them will sincerely tire out your feet. Unless you have your own boat access, you will take two boats to get there. The first is from the tip of the Door County peninsula to Washington Island, and the second is from Washington Island to Rock Island. Now, you may take your vehicle to Washington Island, but Rock Island is pedestrian traffic only. That is because there is nothing on it....it's uninhabited forest save for birds and some ground dwelling animals, like squirrels and chipmunks. You may hike around the island (it's large, but not huge, it doesn't take all day), and primitive camp. There are a few buildings you can visit and some you can even go in. Food and beverage is allowed, but you must bring it with you, and take all trash with you when you leave. Make sure to get back to the dock at one of the scheduled departure times, especially if you need to make the ferry back to the mainland. If you miss the last boat on either island, you're stuck until the following day. 6/2025

Lovely campground with nice level sites for the most part. We somehow lucked out and got what I…read morefigured was a handicap spot. No complaints here

Its a pretty nice spot. Located right within the city limits actually. So its not far from good…read moreawesome city fun. It was packed when we first arrived. It was labor day weekend, which was to be expected. But the site was pretty big. 2 cars and 2 tents took up only a fraction of our site. But on the next day, everybody left and it was hella quiet. Loved it! The facilities were pretty good. Although i kept hearing from 2 campers in our group that one of the shower rooms didnt have hot water. Mine was fine, but i believe them. They're like family to me. Plus the noise from the main road is hella extra. Specially when obnoxious farmers with the loud aftermarket exhausts. Fire pit was pretty dope, we cooked some of our food on it. Sausages, giant tomahawk steak, and our smore dessert. I had a pretty good time camping here. Aside from the cold shower stall that my fellow campers experiencee. I would totally camp here again. Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope this helps with your decision making experience. Enjoy your awesome yelptastic day!!!

Sleeping Bear Dunes is a must if you are nearby! There are beaches that are free to enter, but to…read morego into the actual park and see the big dunes, you have to pay $20 per car, or you can get in with a National Parks pass. Most of it is drivable once you're in, and you can park your car off to the side of the road and view multiple different overlooks. The dunes are huge I was surprised. They're much bigger than I am used to seeing at Indiana Dunes! We stopped at the Lake Michigan overlook. There's a parking lot with plenty of parking. To get up to the overlook, you'll have to walk up a smallish sand dune. It's easier if you take your shoes off. Once you get up, there's super steep dunes that many people attempt to go all the way down then climb up on all fours. It's extremely hard to get back up!! Walking through sand is not easy. There's even a sign that warns you of the dangers of doing so and the damage it does to the dunes. There was a firetruck and ambulance on sight ready to rescue anyone.

My second time visiting was just as spectacular as my first. There's so much beauty to see at…read moreSleeping Bear Dunes. I recommend the cottonwood trail (1.5 miles loop) and empire buff trail (1.5 mile out and back) for amazing views and mixed terrain. The dunes are a must see (climb if you dare). Don't forget to grab a souvenir in one of the park shops.

This is a well maintained campground. We got a campsite under the pine trees. The campsites there…read moreare spaced well apart. No noise from other campers, although the railroad runs a couple hundred feet behind the site. You hear the train rumble by, but they don't blow the whistle. Because it is shaded there is no grass, so it can get muddy when it rains. I didn't care for the fire rings they have there. They are too tall, about twice the hight of most. You can't really see the fire in the pit. They don't have a grill grate either so you can't use them for cooking. This is a nice campground, but does have a few drawbacks.

Pioneer Trail Park is not a place for Glampers, but it's a great place to park your trailer or tent…read moreto unwind a bit, stop for the night, or use as a home base for fishing, paddling, or hiking in the area. The grounds and most notably the shower facilities were very clean. The staff was friendly, and I had no noisy neighbors. I camped in the primitive section, as I didn't need water or electricity at the site, though the sites in the more developed section had those. That section was much more full than the primitive area where I was. For my site I paid just 15$ a night, less than some state or national forest campgrounds that don't have showers or flushing loos. My camp overlooked a side channel of the Escanaba River. A large marsh dividing that channel from the main flow gave me concerns about mosquitos, but I saw very few. The tradeoff for this is some ambient noise. The highway is nearby, and there are some industrial facilities in the area from which you can hear some rumbling and clanking throughout the day. Escanaba seems to have a lot of train traffic, since I don't think I went 5 minutes without hearing a train whistle somewhere in the distance. There is actually a track running directly along the primitive camping section, though only a couple of short trains went by on it while I was there. Not a place for solitude and silence, though there are plenty of those available in the UP. If you want a few more amenities and proximity to some city pleasures, this is a great place to stay.

Nice little turn in park right by the bay…read more It has a little picnic area and plenty of parking Probably mostly useful just to be able to park somewhere and enjoy the scenery Very simple, but will probably meet your needs if you just need a place to rest, which is what I was looking for !

Having lived in Traverse City during my elementary school years, I remember when coal would be off…read moreloaded nearby, and all summer there'd be a mountain of coal to the south of the beach. I also remember the yummy hamburgers that came from a burger stand that used to be where the covered tables are now. Often childhood memories are selective and triumph over what is happening now; but, the current '17 version of this beach is very, very fine. It is far better than what I remember. I am impressed by the community's effort on improving and maintaining this beach. It is very special.

I'm adding an update since it's been 4 years since my last review of this park, but please also see…read moremy 2 earlier reviews. They have completely rebuilt the fire tower adding an accessible ramp. While we are able to climb stairs, we enjoyed the ramp a great deal. I'm not a huge fan of open stairs and found this wide ramp that is intended for both wheelchair users and walkers to be a very pleasant way to reach the viewing platform and return to ground level. The view from the top is amazing on a clear day. We also walked part of the sunset bike trail as an out and back which was lovely. We started at the beach, headed toward the lighthouse and continued on to the bluffs/cliffs before turning around. It was about 6 miles round trip and had lots of wildflowers and beaches along the way. This is a great trail for anyone who doesn't want to navigate a lot of tree roots or rocks. Other updates: The lighthouse is being refurbished and is scheduled to reopen later in June 2026. There are now food trucks near the beach if you don't feel like bringing a picnic lunch!

This is a review of the park of someone who went there on a rainy day to see some spots but did not…read morecamp or spend a lot of time. To access the park, you have to pay a vehicle admission pass at the visitor center. Daily pass for out-of-state plates is $16. The rates are different for Wisconsin plates and senior citizens. 12-month pass is available as well. The small gift shop in the visitor center has magnets, stickers, paper weights, shirts, etc. There are also comfort rooms inside. It was raining when we visited. The rain stopped for a bit and we were able to see Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. We weren't able to go in the lighthouse because it was still early and not yet open. It was okay from the outside. We also went to see the Eagle Tower. Since it was raining and dark clouds were all over, we did not see the nice view that this spot is known for.

Fantastic ! Very clean restrooms, and showers…read more Well maintained grass cutting, and tree trimming. Check it out . Pull your rig in here and set a spell. Take a hot shower . Enjoy the island on your bicycle,motorcycle, or car . Have fun !

My first Door County experience included driving up the peninsula to the car ferry (with a couple…read moreof stops on the way), and onto Washington Island for a weekend of camping and sightseeing. I believe Washington Island Campground is THE ONLY camping on the island. The island has an "old timey" feel to it where everyone waves as you drive by and is very kind to tourists from what we experienced. As one lady we spoke to put it "They are so nice it's almost creepy". But onto the campground itself...it's not right there once you get off the ferry, maybe a couple of miles away. Fairly easy to find if you use the map they provide at the ferry station. I have not been to a campground in a long time but this one seemed fairly comparable to most I've been to. They have RV/trailer camping, horse camping, tent (electric or non) and cute little cabins you can rent. The grounds have a main office that sells wood for $6 a bunch (tip: you can probably name your own price if you buy more than one) and other small items but it's not a huge selection or anything. Besides, you're camping right?! They also have an inside lounge type area with a TV, pinball and other games, a pool table and an ATM. This would be good if you were waiting for someone to shower or it ended up raining, but we never had a use for it. Onto the showers...they are pretty clean and they are the type where you pop in a quarter and 6ish minutes later you have to add it again. BUT... you do get the quarter back so it's a free shower. The showers and flush able toilets are connected to the main building, but there is one other set of pit toilets on the other side of the grounds. If you have a site further away you may want to drive if you need the flushing toilets. The campsites were okay, some are better than others. We camped in the non-electric tent side and because it was before the busy time hits on July 4th we had pick of the sites which was cool. We were literally the only ones there for two nights, aside from random RVs and horse campers. And please note, sites near the horses can hear the horses in the morning hours lol. Site #20 is a popular one and would be good for two tents and cars, but it had less grass than we wanted. Bug wise we had no ticks and we didn't really have an issue in late June with mosquitos or anything else. We saw lots of interesting bugs/wildlife on the island such as a tree frog that sat on our chair for two hours near the fire, a lot of tadpoles in the campground man-made pond, a snake in the road and bald eagles. Just a really nice weekend overall. I would camp here again for sure, but would also consider renting one of the cabins. Our only true complaint was this: the people who run the office are very nice and were very accommodating. However, they keep their dog tied up 24 hours a day outside of the office and that just bothers me a lot. One of the times we had to give him water because he was out and no one was around. I feel like he is a bit neglected being tied to a 5' rope all of time and that alone might prevent me from camping there again. I should also mention, they have their own black horse on the property with an electric fence around it. I guess most people know what an electric fence looks like (including my boyfriend who accidentally touched it and got shocked but was ok after his bad headache passed) but I think they need to have a sign on it so small children and those who do not know are warned. That's it. It's a nice campground and I would more than likely return sometime.

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.

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.

This is a nice little park with a lovely view and beach space. There are two playground spaces, a…read morelittle lighthouse (possibly just decorative, but it was cute and added to the scenery), basketball and volleyball courts, and a boat launch. Restrooms are available, and there are parking lots (for a fee). Benches and picnic tables are also available. The playground we opted to check out was set right in the sand and was much enjoyed.

We took a trip from traverse city to check out the dunes & this was the closest beach we had found…read more We came in May and there was literally no one there. It was peaceful! Water was clear and we found so many rocks. It had two playgrounds and a shallow side on the opposite side of the lake. Although, the water was shallow enough for my two year old to play in on the actually Lake Michigan side. We loved this beach so much!! Parking is $1 an hour. Bathrooms on site as well