$30 / night

Camper submitted image from Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park - 1

Camper submitted image from Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park - 3

Water

Camper submitted image from Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park - 4

Roads

Camper submitted image from Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park - 5

Buildings

Established Camping

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park

52 Reviews

About

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, located in the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, features a modern campground, trails, a historical fort with a living history program, two 1860s lighthouses on Lake Superior and much more.

Visitors will enjoy a quarter-mile of rocky Lake Superior shoreline, Lake Fanny Hooe and a quarter-mile of sandy beach on Lake Manganese.

The park features a restored 1844 army military outpost, including 19 buildings, with a living history program provided by the Michigan History Center. Visitors can experience a look back at life on the northern frontier during the mid-1800s and a time when soldiers were stationed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp

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Location

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park — Fort Wilkins State Historic Park is located in Michigan

Directions

Located on US Hwy 41 approximately 1 mile east of Copper Harbor; Located 35 miles north of Calumet and 49 miles north of Houghton.

Address

15223 U.S Highway 41
Copper Harbor, MI 49950

Coordinates

47.46699224 N
87.87184675 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site

Stay Connected

WiFi
Poor
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

Market
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

$30

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

(800) 447-2757

Laura M.

Legend

Reviewed Nov. 2, 2023

Awesome state park

Really nice state park and campground. Sites are $30/night, and they all include 30 and 20 amp power. Dump station and water fill is available at the west campground entrance. You also need to pay a $11 daily state park fee, unless you have the $39 annual pass. The fee gets you into the state park area, and the fort was worth exploring, it's really nicely set up.

There are two separate campgrounds, east and west. We drove through the east one first and immediately hated it. Sites are open, no division between them, kids running around everywhere, big groups of people, just overall chaos. So we went to the west side and liked it much better. More tree coverage (which was fine because there’s power and we didn’t need the sun for our solar panels), sites had way more division between them (though far from completely private). There were still lots of kids and big families on this side but it was overall so much more quiet and pleasant.

If you’re in an rv and levelness is important to you, then I’d really try and not make reservations, but pick a site when you arrive. Some sites were completely level, some were fixable with levelers, and a few were straight up on a hill. Though the campground has lots of trees and narrow roads, we saw some huge class As and 5th wheels rolling through- there are a bunch of massive pull through sites here that made it easy for them I’m sure.

No cell service in this entire area but there’s free wifi at the bathrooms, which weakly reached our site that was several spots away from the bathroom. Nice free hot showers that run like normal (no button to push every 10 seconds). Trash bins but no recycling (Michigan is surprisingly bad at offering recycling!). Host set up is very nice, with a ton of brochures and info and free coffee every morning!

Site127

Month of VisitSeptember

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Doug L.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 4, 2023

Awe Inspiring Lakes and Deep Forest Beauty

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a place of great beauty. We stayed on the west side campground (site 153) and found the nearby lake an lush green forest to be very beautiful.

For Astronomy this is a Bortle Class 2 site ( bordering Class 1) with an SQM of: 21.98 mag./arc sec2. Alas, i could not observe from this site as it was cloudy every night I was there.

There is no cell service over Verizon or ATT at the park. However, there is a nice town nearby (Copper Harbor) with restaurants and gas. The restaurants had wifi so we could go there for internet access.

Gas up before you leave. The next gas is a very long way off.

SiteSite 153

Month of VisitJuly

(14) View All

Stacey W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 23, 2023

Great campground

Restrooms are old, but clean. Sites (west campground) are close, but there are trees between. Easy access to everything you want to do in Copper Harbor. Staff crazy accommodating. Will definitely stay here again

Site129

Month of VisitJuly

Paul B.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 17, 2023

Beautiful State Park

Long drive out here, but lovely area to get to relax in. A bit isolated and very quiet mid week at least. Electric only sites, decently spaced along Fannie Hooe Lake. The reconstructed 1844 fort is fun to visit. M26 closed between Cooper Harbor and Eagle Harbor.

Site167

Month of VisitJuly

Margie S.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 7, 2023

Stayed here for DECADES.

Have been here since a little girl (now 72) I will always come back. We no longer tent, so I cannot give a review for the East Compound but the West campground is wonderful!! They are spacious and with trees between sites. The center is blacktopped surrounded by grass and trees. Grass sites are around the perimeter- they are still great. There is nothing better than to walk on the pier at night and star gaze. When you've lived in the city, that's a treat. If you're lucky you can pick Thimbleberries for breakfast (July). The park is well kept/clean. We walk across the road to Lake Superior to let our dogs swim freely. (Did you know Lake Superior is naturally "soft water?} We have camped in the summer and camped in the fall - both equally beautiful. Looking forward to being there middle July 2023. Reservations are hard to get for RV's wanting a premiere spot! If RV-ing you pretty much HAVE to have reservations.

Site142, 144, 154, 146, 148

Nathan M.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2022

Perfect Destination

We stay here several times a year with our camper and tent.

The bathrooms are a little dated, but always clean! The staff throughout the campground & Fort is always friendly and courteous.

The campground host are always full of information and informative when it comes to the local attractions and places to visit.

You are completely disconnected when it comes to cellular service & that’s our favorite part. There is Wi-Fi, but it’s spotty & only available around the bathroom area.

Site19

Month of VisitSeptember

(6) View All

Michael V.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2022

Nice campground.

We didn’t stay here just visited some friends here. There site was close to others but not to close. Camp store is very nice. Area is awesome, lots to do and explore. Beautiful night skies and northern lights.

Month of VisitOctober

(9) View All

Mitch + Kristi N.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2022

location, location, location

the campground is nothing special other than being attached to the Fort, which is really cool. the sites are small but well maintained. you won’t be hanging around the camp anyway, copper harbor is amazing! wish we would have scheduled more time for this area.

Site?

Month of VisitOctober

Art S.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 15, 2022

Far north respite

This is a beautiful haven from the warmer temperatures with easy access to hiking and relaxation. We stayed in the west campground and extended our stay for a week+. The heat hit even just a few hours south. The northern point of Copper Harbor stayed in the 50/60s during the day with nights at 40. With 2-3 miles of hiking right from camp, we loved our stay. The campsites in the west have some trees between sites. Without reservations we took an open first come first served site. This let us extend the stay. 101 is an end spot which means less dog interaction for our reactive pup. However every vehicle drives by on their way in or out. We didn’t find this to be a problem at all. There were a few big groups - one very large group in the east campground and one on our side. This added in to the number of children riding bikes in a loop throughout camp. The historic fort provides some interesting history. 1.5 miles of hiking brings you to the small town. A country store has groceries. Anything more and it’s a drive back to Calumet. Don’t miss taking 26 so you can get some jams and baked goods from the monks at the Jampot - the sign says it’s only open on Fri/Sat but luckily two newlyweds tried the door and they were open. We will be coming back to this area in the future.

Month of VisitJuly

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Jessica P.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 30, 2022

Where history & nature meet

We love visiting the historic fort & the trail system through the park is great for a morning walk or to walk/bike to town. Some trees to maneuver around to park, but plenty of room for our 35 foot camper. There are a few in this area of the campground we fit in & all of the west extension is big rig friendly, but we like how close this part is to the lighthouse overlook & the bathhouse. We will continue to make this a yearly stay.

SiteEast 70

Month of VisitAugust

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Stacey N.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 3, 2021

Northern camping

Truly a northwoods destination. Nice sites near Lake Fanny Hooe. A little confusing that campers in the West Campground have to drive past their entrance to register and find firewood. $7 a bunch is a bit higher than other places. Bathrooms were mostly clean, but could use some updating. Last decent sized food store is in Calumet.

Site178

Month of VisitNovember

Becky M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 6, 2021

Classic state park

We stay at Fort Wilkins every time we are in copper harbor. The location is great, right on the bike trails and right between lake Fanny Hooe and Lake Superior, which is hard to beat. The camp store has great ice cream and a bunch of essentials if you need something. There is laundry in the east campground for $2.50 per load each for wash/dry. There are only two washers so you may have to wait. There is also wifi at the camp buildings like the bathrooms and store. The only downside is that campsites are very close together and there is no separation between the RVs and Tent campers. It would be nice to have a tents only loop to keep things quieter.

Site117

Month of VisitSeptember

Neil T.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2021

Loved Fanny Hooe Lake. Camp not as nature-y as I like.

All notes are for the West Campground. We didn’t drive through the East Campground.

Vibe: First blush seemed almost residential like, but it was mostly families on extended camping trips that had packed campsites. Friendly but a little rowdy. Teens drinking White Claws, pot smells wafting through and some camp rules openly flaunted. But no trouble making taking place.

Cleanliness: Average.

Facilities: Better than average.

General spots: Sandy bare ground on most of the site. Not much grass. Most sites were packed, so they seemed small, but they may have just been because of all the extra equipment in them.

Our site: 137. Two stones throw from the swimming spot on Lake Fanny Hooe.

Noise: People playing games and cheering, but nothing too loud or obtrusive. Quiet hours were respected.

Cell signal(Verizon): None. There is a picnic table by the swimming area between the two sections of the west camp that could get some very slow service. The town had no service either, but you could find some guest wifi, like at the marina just west of town.

Other: Wish we had kayaks for Lake Fanny Hooe. Really nice lake. Lots of families use this as a base camp for a week of adventuring in the area. Lots of Lake Superior beaches and scenic overlooks near by.

Site137

Month of VisitSeptember

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David H.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 18, 2021

East vs West

This is always a beautiful drive to the campground and in the campground too. We've stayed in the West campground once and East campground twice. In the East campground there isn't any defined sites and it can be interesting to park larger rigs in the sites. We have a teardrop so we didn't have any problem. In the West side the sites are more defined so it is easier getting into them.

The facilities are nice however one of the showers was stuck on and I couldn't turn it off. The showers were nice and separate.

The campground hosts are very nice and have free coffee in the morning.

Site32

Month of VisitSeptember

Kate W.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 14, 2021

Full service but crowded

This campground takes a long time to get to but Copper Harbor is beautiful! It’s remote in one sense but the campground is full service with bathrooms, showers and laundry. There is electric at each site so it is popular with RVs and the sites in the East campground and not private at all. Our kids had a great time playing on the playground and we enjoyed touring the fort and swimming in Lake Fanny Hooe and Superior. There is a great network of bike trails in the area. We biked into Copper Harbor and out to Hunter’s Point where there is more hiking and beaches. Great location but wish the sites had more privacy.

Site38

Month of VisitSeptember

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Bobby B.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 20, 2021

Remote

It takes a long time to drive all the way up here, but it’s worth the drive! Campground has lots of sites, and not much privacy. But easy access and plenty of restrooms. Laundry facilities are available.

Month of VisitAugust

Laura E.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 17, 2021

Crowded, but quiet

We stayed at Ft. Wilkens after being on the road a week to get showers, do laundry and pack for a trip to Isle Royale. The sites are close together and there isn't much privacy, but yhe campground is clean and quiet, the bath house is clean and the showers are hot. We had site 8 on the outer loop facing the lake. There's a good general store in town and the campground is 10 minutes from the Isle Toyale ferry.

Site8

Month of VisitJuly

Kevin

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 14, 2021

Wonk wonk

You drive forever on a long, narrow spit of land jutting out majestically into Lake Superior only to arrive at this campsite built around a tiny little “lake” instead of on the shores of THE lake. Such a disappointment.

SiteTurned around and left

Month of VisitAugust

Jack T.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 15, 2021

Fort Wilkins State Park

Beautiful area, many things to do int area. However, the camping is a bit tight.

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Yetiman

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 20, 2020

We really enjoyed our stay here!

Our experience at Fort Wilkins/Copper Harbor started out great. We rolled in to the campground headquarters with no reservation. The guy working in the office was fantastic, he even highlighted some campsites we might want to look at. We stayed in the west campground in site 133. It was about like most campsites at Michigan state parks, modest amount of room. The great thing about this site was biking and hiking were accessible right from the campsite. The bathrooms are a bit outdated, but were super clean and in good working order. There is very little cell service in the area, but the bathroom has wifi if you need to check in with anyone.

Eat, Sleep, Ride and Repeat!

Site133

Month of VisitNovember

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Rory L.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 16, 2020

I'm going 4. East campground 3 west 5.

Unfortunately we're we're in east. It's a sardine can. Amenities are nice. But you're basically in 1 big campsite. West was full or I'd be there.

Shannon B.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 5, 2020

Very nice and clean

Really nice campground. You have oaths to both lakes and hiking all around

Makayla B.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 24, 2020

Peaceful and serene

Great campground to unplug ... literally, as we didn't get cell service within the park. There is WIFI at the modern bathroom, but we only had to use that once. Our site in the West Campground was well shaded, it seemed as though trees separated every campsite allowing for privacy and nature views everywhere. Behind our site we could access the bike/walking trail that led to the historic fort and into the town of Copper Harbor. It was a bit chilly the week we visited so we didn't go swimming, but Lake Fanny Hooe looked gorgeous.

Site155

Month of VisitOctober

Adam

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 26, 2020

Nice an clean!

Not a ton of space but still pretty nice. Very clean.

Lydia T.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 14, 2020

Tip of copper harbor

Nice campsites but kind of close together

(4) View All

Kristofer E.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2020

Worth the drive!

Stayed here with my family three times over 17 years. So much to do for an off the beaten path. My kids will always remember this place. Great mountain biking trails. The people are just AAA.

Richard E.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 30, 2020

Love it

Things I love about this campground: sites with easy access to private lakeside swimming, clean restrooms with Wifi and laundry, the fort is an interesting piece of history to explore, and the conglomerate formation rock beaches of Lake Superior are just a picturesque 5-minute hike through old pine forests. The sites are pretty compact in the east campground (though definitely not the toughest I’ve seen), but the west is more spread out.

Side note for those with sturdy shocks and off-road tires on their car, the nearby road to Horseshoe Harbor offer a short hike to a blissfully private and peaceful beach. Worth checking out!

Jamie B.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 29, 2020

So many things to do

Gorgeous spot, a lot of things to do. Bike rides would take you to old buildings to tour, a mile from town, and some trails to gorgeous spots on Lake Superior. Only bad thing was no real sandy beach for littles- so make sure you bring water shoes.

Katilyn P.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 15, 2019

Way up yonder

I was so excited to venture all the way up to copper harbor and stay at Fory Wilkins State Park... The camp ground is extremely nice, beautiful setting smaller sites. Bathrooms are outdated but worked. Nice that they had wifi near the bath houses. Staff was friendly and the wood was great for fires. We left early due to so much rain. If it wasnt 9 hours away from home. We'd come more. Site 16

Jennifer H.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 28, 2019

Nice sites overlooking the lake

Some sites had trees with good shade others were in the sun. Most of the sites overlooking the lake were roomy. The fire pits were clean, and the bathrooms were clean. Lots of hike and bike paths, connecting to bike trails in town. Easy and more challenging routes. It is a Mountain biker's dream. The map of copper Harbor's bike trails with rated levels of difficulty is worth the 5$ and available at the camp store. The inland lake is calm and serene, great for fishing and paddlers. The Fort is interesting for those who like early settlement history. During the summer there are student reenactors at the fort to share with you what life was like. Friendly warning to those who want to drive to the peninsula top. Unless you have lifted 4 wheel drive the old logging roads that go there are impassable. It's best reached with hiking or mountain biking. We could not get there in our Subaru. The locals are all very friendly and are happy to help with directions and warnings. One local told us they have even had a few few jeeps tip over on the back roads.

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