We were lucky enough to celebrate Michigan State Parks 100th birthday in Wilderness State Park, located on the western tip of the lower peninsula, just about 5 miles south of Mackinaw City, not to be confused with Mackinaw Island.
It was October, and we were chasing the peak of the fall colors in the Upper Peninsula as well as celebrating my own birthday. Ringing in year 26 on the shoreline of Lake Michgan was wicked and appropriate because Willdeness Park has 26 miles of shoreline to explore, and I, 26 years to celebrate! Talk about a happy camper.
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We left in the dark early hours of morning and arrived a few hours later. Happy to unpack tubs of gear, we settled into a “rustic” tent site right on Lake Michigan, surrounded by tall swaying pines. Wilderness State Park instantly became a favorite!
Booking was incredibly easy and I was able to scout maps, pick, and pay for our site right from the WSP website.
Why Wilderness?
The park won our hearts and peaked our interest for many reasons.
It happens to cover 10,512 ares, it spans over 26 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan, has a designated Dark Sky Park area, allowing visitors to observe the northern night sky while over looking the omnious and always changing blue waters, plus, the park offers a slew of trails, and my personal favorite; is home to both hardwoods and coniferous areas of forest, all entertwined with white beach and budding greenery.
Its location put us only a few short miles away from the Mackinaw Bridge the gateway to the Upper Peninsula, which was our next stop. So from now on stopping in Wilderness will always be a no brainer.
Wilderness State Park is a feast for anyone looking to get outdoors.
250 modern campsites, 18 fully loaded, nine tent only, rustic cabins, and rustic bunkhouses.
The park is a feast for anyone looking to get outdoors for a day or two. What struck us as most wonderful was the plethroa of camping options the park has for its visitors.
There are over 250 modern campsites, some of which are equipped with electrical hookups or charging stations, 18 fully equipped sites, nine tent only or rustic sites, and, cabins and bunkhouses throughout the park. Not only is the dark sky area an impressive feat, but WSP also has a designated dog beach too! Whats not to love?
Our sites were rustic and all of them had incrdible views, by far the nicest “rustic” site area we’ve ever seen. What set them apart was that they were incredibly easy to access, they had designated parking spots right on your site, making it so your car was accessible at all times, there was a communal spout for rinsing, a very “rustic” single communal outhouse, but also a full bathroom and shower facility just up the road, and did I mention the views!
We spent two, of our three night, four day trip, walking trails, and goofing off on the beach. It was the perefcet r and r. Lake Michigan seemed to change into a new scene every day. With moody storms, gusty winds, rain, and magic sunsets, the lake became a source of overflowing power that we were all repeatedly pulled to throughout our stay.
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The first night we were hit with extreme gusty winds, and a little rain, but our Coleman tent held strong, we did snap a pole on the lake side but it wasn’t a damning injury, and waking up to a moody and weather ridden Great Lake was incomparably epic. One thing we learned, always take into account the rough winds when looking to camp on the shoreline of a large body of water. We watched several camp neighbors give up and leave due to the conditions. It may seem like a no brainer but when your pumped up and packing to leave its easy to forget things… like maybe how useful a back up tent might be. Never the less it was all FINE! It was EPIC!
My birthday morning I walked the windy beach and spotted a majestic bald eagle flying over the point of pines in the distance, I was taking in the cool breeze, and the changing white caps that rolled and thundered. I also spent a bit of time taking selfies with the lake, only to look up and see a couple patiently waiting for me to finish my personal shoot, watching with smiles of understanding but eyes of laughter…how embarrassing haha. Note -there is zero cell service once you reach the park.
It was pure bliss at every turn, sorrounded by everything Michigans outdoor landscape has to offer. What more could a girl want for her birthday.
We hiked Sturgeon Bay Trail where we spotted one of the many cabins offered. While we personally have yet to stay in one, fellow blogger Steph and her hubby just cozied up in one this winter and the park looks incredible covered in snow! You should totally check it out on eachdayslow.com!
She’s inspired me to revisit while theres still ice and snow, maybe ill see ya there!
We were in search of epic fall colors but the landscape, the lake and our beach front camp site stole the show. The colors weren’t very visble in all of the variety of plant life, but there were a few distinct spots in the park and on the shoreline where things were looking bright and watercolored, and the drive up was everything we hoped for, getting more and more ubelievable the further north we ventured.
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I never beofore noticed the color change in pine trees till this trip, but after two days in this park, watercolored pine trees is a view I cherish.
As far as amenities go, theres a great little market up the road that carries everything under the sun! Its a short ten minute drive from the camp sites, and we frequented the store for wood to endure 18 degree temps at night (normal for October up here). We met and chatted up the owner and made our one local friend of the trip. It was enriching, and felt like a true northern Michgan experience to the fullest.
Why Not Go!
If you’ve never been, get this destination down on your calendar this year! Whether you are headed up for a picnic and a day at the beach, looking for comforts of a wood stove and the indoors with a cabin in the woods, or aching for the beach and a tent site with an epic view, Wilderness State Park is there for everyone. The skilled and avid hiker, or the camper and running water only park goer. A slice of quiet northern living, with all of the comforts of home. One just cant beat Michigans state parks.
Packing Up
I’ve included a list of some of the basics that we packed for the trip. I find that alot of people are hesitant to take on trips like these because they arent sure what they will need or they think they need to have it all. So not true! Start with what you have and just be patient with yourself and your expectations.
This was one of the first trips we really felt organzied in the way that we packed, and with what we packed, and we’ve been doing trips like these for 5 years guys!!
We pack for camp in totes now a days. Which you can read more abour in our How To Pack Camp post. Its made our lives a hell of a lot easier, and we can come home, pack our totes away with no fuss, and they’re waiting and ready for the next adventure! If you aren’t an avid camp goer, I really don’t think this type of packing is necessary, but hey if you want to make it easy!
These are just our basics we brought. We have full size Osprey Packs which we pack our clothes and things into. Clothes means one outfit and one or two layers for rain or cold. Yes, Im looking at you with the four bags, my overpackers.
This trip we had a new tent which compared to our other tent is like sleeping in the Taj Mahal , so we splurged and brought along a full air matress as well.
We did this because the parking was right on our site, but hey, usually just a sleeping pad and a good bag gets us through. We also brought along a first time “rustic” camper, and she was nervous about not having the right stuff, but had an amazing time and her ‘work with what you have’ items held up great! – I share this with you because its something I cant stress enough, just get by with what you have. Borrow a couple must haves if you need to, but really, dont over think it! You’re in the wild, its not a fashion contest, and your gonna be dirty and stinky all day anyways so why fuss about it. Growing our gear has happened VERY SLOWLY and over the course of 6 years and counting, no need to be fancy. You can find amazon links to some affordable beginners items here!
That being said, if you don’t have a few items on the list, don’t sweat it, compromise. This is what we consider a glamping trip by our standards, so we splurged and brought things for extra comfort. Our main focus was factoring in the temperatures with the high winds, and making sure we would be warm and dry, and have plenty of water. You could seriously eat PB&J for a few days and eliminate half of this list, so do what feels right to you!
And dont forget to leave us a comment if you head up to Wilderness State Park! Follow us on Instagram at @adventuringgypsy !
Happy Adventuring!!
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