Wilderness State Park Camping

The staff member at check-in was very pleasant even though it was past her shift time. Stayed at walk-in site 113. It was clean and had sufficient privacy especially with site 114 being vacant. Vault toilet was clean and not far.

I enjoyed my stay in the Lakeshore section. I had electric only. It was a short walk from my campsite to the beach. During a nice bike ride, I saw the boat launch and picnic area. I was solo, but most were family campers. It felt safe and secure with staff doing regular roundabouts. Bathrooms were fine. The only downside were millions of dead fish flies in the water and shore line, but obviously that was out of our control. It was also a short drive to Mackinac City. Highly recommended!

We had a full hook up site, the pictures on the site obviously were way better than the actual site (203), there was no shower house near our camping section. The biting insects were SOOOO bad while we were there

We’ve been here several times and it’s one of our favorites. However, there are a lot of bugs, some biting, this time of year. We will definitely be back but will avoid May and June. AT&T reception is good. Good Ranger presence too.

Booked a site day of in middle of May, and got a fantastic “walk-in” site overlooking the bay. When we were there the midges were swarming so it was a bit buggy. But the views were great and site was apart from the others, the walk in was very brief and vault toilet not far away.

Don’t try to arrive early and get in. They don’t allow early entry. Check in is 3 pm period. Not real friendly, not rude either. Give the trading post 5 stars super nice well stocked. Lots of fire wood bundles to choose from. Has snack propane bottles

Book early to get a campsite on the beach! There are 3 campgrounds in total, the two on the water are amazing. The one on other side of the road from the beach is okay. The beach was beautiful, the water clear, and just a short drive from Mackinaw city!

the site was well maintained and the bathrooms were clean (enough).

checked in late and got to our site. the photos on DNRs website were relatively deceptive as site 594 seemed a little far from the other sites. the spots were pretty much on top of one another and the crowd that this park attracts (emphasis on crowd) blatantly ignores quiet time rules. if you like to party and be loud with other campers, this is your place. not for those who enjoy getting away from the busy areas.

Great campground only about 15 minutes from mackinaw city. Vault toilets but they are kept clean. Front desk was very nice and helpful. The tent site we stayed at had a good view of the lake and passing ships. Just a short 30 second walk from our site to the beach. Other sites are fairly close by but there is pretty good tree coverage for privacy from other campers.

Tent camped in site 441 right on the lake. Wide open spots (mostly campers in this loop but was fine for 2 tents), fairly close together but the views, the beach/water, the nearby activities entirely make up for that. Nice, clean bathrooms. Surprisingly no issues with bugs at all in early June!

Shady sites

Visited in Fall. Camped in lake front site (419); the lake being right by the campsite was nice. However, very little privacy nor trees in this area. Wide open camping - more like RV park camping. Not at all what I had hoped. Fire pits do not have cooking rack so bring own. Beach for walking very nice with water level down. Drove to Piping Plover nesting area-that was beautiful. Seven very remote rustic cabins in beautiful areas. Some right on water. October 18th they close modern bathrooms and most water spigots, so have to get water at Camp office. 20 miles of hiking trails. Headlands Dark Sky Park well worth the short drive; a Beautiful area. Gave 3 stars due to “RV Park” like campground. Otherwise rest of park 4-5 stars. More trees in back campground (not near Lake MI).

This park was beautiful. The staff is great and the location is amazing. We have a 45' fifth and fit in just fine. Beach access in multiple locations and the park goes on for miles. The water is crystal clear and the sand bars let you get almost 100 yards into Lake Michigan.

Beautiful MI state park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Close to Mackinaw Bridge.

We visited Wilderness State Park on our last day of our 10 day expedition, and I really just wish we could’ve stayed an extra day or two, honestly! The night before, we had an incredible time at the Headlands International Dark Sky Observatory the night before right down the street, and the next day we enjoyed a beautiful scenic hike through the forest at Wilderness State Park followed by a surreal, almost tropical like feeling swim at Sturgeon Bay. With the shallow sand bars, it was some of the warmest water we’ve swam in all summer, and I can only imagine how beautiful it is here in the fall! Really hoping to make it make in October!

My family and I stayed here in August 2020. We stayed in the pines loop of the campground and really like the shaded sites. The bathrooms were clean, and the campground was quiet overall. We will be back!

Stayed one night, one of the quietest campgrounds we have stayed considering close neighbors. Nice big beach, clean bathrooms. About 15 minutes from the observatory and dark sky park.

The campsites are on top of each other and there isn't a good place to pitch a tent on the gravel patch. It was very crowded and there was no privacy. It would have been a fine site if it didn't cost $41 ($35 site + reservation fee).

The bathrooms and showers were not dirty, but not super clean either. It had electric at the site and warm water at the showers. The beach was pretty and the stars were bright at night. However, the closeness of the sites really put a damper on things. We got to meet the neighbors, but I have never seen a more crowded campground. Overall, this campsite wasn't worth writing home about.

The information that this campground is closed for the 2021 season is wrong. Some sites are closed (1-75) for renovation but many are open.

The information that this campground is near Ann Arbor is also wrong. This campground is in northern Michigan on the west side on Lake Michigan.

This park is great and it’s 100% open for 2021...I was just there, it’s not closed at all, just a very small part of the park is for repairs and upgrade 6/17/21

This park has become our go-to place. The location is very secluded, but also close to Mackinaw if you are in the mood to go out for dinner. There are also a ton of places to visit within about an hour’s drive.

The campground itself is clean and generally low key. Virtually no partiers running around until 2am which helps make it a truly relaxing place.

The most amazing part of the park is the water and how accessible it is. Even if you are at the Pines campground you are only about a 5 min walk to the water.

My family and I have been camping here since I was 4 (I’m....much older than that now!). I have been taking my 3 sons here since my oldest was 5 (he’s 16 now). This is “our” place for R&R! Miles and miles of trails for day hikes, soft sandy beaches and cool water in the Straights, kayak-able, and always a fun community of campers. Hard to get in this year due to an update on the East Lakeshore campground, but we squeaked in. This is our favorite summer treat and retreat!

One of the best state campgrounds.  This is a very large park and can be hard to get into.  It has wonderful trails around it, good sized sites, an active ranger program for kids. There is the upper campground (Pines), which does not have direct views or water access, but is a great campground.  The lower section is on the water.  There is beach access for all campers along the water and gorgeous views of the Mackinaw Bridge.  It's a great hub for all the activities in the area: the dark sky park, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, etc.

We stayed at Wilderness in October this fall.  The fall colors were just about fully turned and it was just gorgeous.  This park is geared towards the RV camper and they have sites for just about any size rig.  The sites along the lake are geared more toward the sorter rigs.  Ours is a short 5'er and we fit just fine.

The only downside to this trip was the very high lake levels.  On the west side of the park with the more scenic beaches were just not accessible.  Actually, they didn't exist.  The water level completely inundated them.  Even the shore trees were in the water.  That prevented us from hiking where we had hoped to hike.  That really limited us.

The park was clean and the dump station clean and plenty of room  We would camp here again.

Wilderness was great, not what you are looking for if you are tent camping more of an RV park. Beautiful views though

This state park is one of the best. The campsites have amazing water views and are nicely spaced out. Bathrooms are clean. Highly recommend!

Pretty secluded campsites with trees surrounding each site. Private little sandy trail from the site down to Lake Michigan allows for good distancing from others. Can’t beat the sunsets. Definitely will be back.

I only wish I lived closer. We traveled all the way from NY to visit this campground and it has still been my favorite to date. We stayed in the loop with the full hook-ups and had a beach view. Every night we had a beautiful sunset to watch. When the water was still, it was crystal clear and beautiful. It reminded me of some place tropical. The kids enjoyed playing on the sandy beaches. While we were here, we also visited Mackinac Island. We rented some bikes and toured the island. Visited many attractions including a winery, ate some famous fudge and climbed up to an overlook of the lake. We had so much fun here and I hope to one day visit it again.