will be visited in July and will have time to canoe for a day or two with family. I have read this is a great area for paddling and would appreciate any input on family friendly river runs. I heard the Pine River campground is nice and has rentals, but at this point would be open to any suggestions regarding rivers and campground/canoe rentals for this area. We were going to stay at the Ludington St Park but it filled up on the very first day reservations were available! I read they have the only Canoe Trail in the MI State Park system but it sounds like there are lots of other options to choose from.
Many thanks!
Pine or Pere Marquette
The Pine river is an excellent choice. Generally Dobson to low bridge.
There are several choices of camp sitesin the area. Another nice choice is the Pere Marquette outside of Baldwin. You can camp right on the river.
Both these rivers require a permit. I would avoid both on weekends especially the Pine - very crowded.
Ludington
Ludington is a great place to stay. If you can’t stay at the park (Do try the canoe trail)here are some other suggestions. If you like to be away from it all, there is the Lake Mi Recreation area http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pdf_manistee/Lkmirec_txt.pdf or if you prefer a little more civilized there is BUTTERSVILLE PARK CAMPGROUND. A county campground right on Lake Mi or on the way to the state park on the Lincoln River you have the
CARTIER PARK CAMPGROUND www.cpcampground.com
Have a great time. The area is awsome!
Nordhouse Dunes
I believe you can get a free permit to backwoods-camp in Nordhouse Dunes (Nat’l Wilderness Area) if you want to go truly rustic.
You can check back at the DNR website for Ludington SP, as folks often book several dates, then cancel once they have planned a vacation. Although I do believe that Ludington is by far the busiest park in the state.
I can’t help you with rivers, but the water trail on Hamlin is nice.
Vagabonding
A tardy thank you for the info. I’ll be checking those suggestions out (along with the famous cherry pies of Michigan).
Prairiedog