Ludington State Park Campground

We've been camping at LSP for many years. And overall, its still one of our favorites. But its gone downhill, somewhat.

Quiet hours begin at 10PM. In years past, you could always count on the Rangers walking through the campground shortly after 10PM to identify noisy sites, and quiet thrm down. But apparently not any more. Now , the Rangers just drive through in their trucks, looking official. Consequently, the noisy people see them coming, momentarily quiet down till they pass by, then get noisy again.

During this stay, we were treated to loud talking, shouting and even cornhole games until nearly midnight, several nights. The Rangers DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to quiet those sites down.

My advice, if you want to get any sleep, take ear plugs !

This was by far our favorite state park in lower MI during our 10 day circle tour of Lake Michigan. There is a smaller beach that is not lakefront with warmer water for kids to swim. The bike trails to the main beach and the beach center are really nice as well. The drive into the park is really neat along the beach. Campsites were private on the outer edge of the loops and very level with easy back in sites. The raccoons however are not afraid of people and jumped up on my wife’s chair to sniff her during a campfire.

We stayed here in early October as the trees began producing stunning fall colors. Our campsite was located in the Pines Loop, the site was fairly level, spacious, and had 30 amp hookup with picnic table, and fire ring. The restrooms were clean, with hot showers, water was located throughout the loop, and the trash receptacle was located at the loop entrance. Our nightly rate reflects the price using our Michigan State Parks Pass. Overall, we were pleased with the campground. Hiking trails through the forested area began near our campsite, trails to the lake shore were located at the loop entrance.

NIce park in a beautiful setting. Natural feeling with the Lake Michigan beach and the wooded areas. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable throughout the park. Roads into and throughout the park were paved and in good condition. No problem driving and backing into the site with our 27 foot class C motor home. Stayed in Cedar Campground. Site was dirt and grass. Required some leveling (two lynx blocks high). As noted in previous reviews, the sites are pretty close together. Camp store was reasonably stocked and serves hand dipped ice cream. Several hiking trails are available. This is a family friendly park and was very crowded during our stay. Be careful driving in the campground and be careful as you walk around - people on bikes can pose a hazard. We would stay here again.

No Verizon service during our stay.

North Sable Point Lighthouse is a 2 mile hike from the campground along the beach or the sandy road along dunes.

We stayed in the Pines campground spot #59. The site was packed sand/grass and needed minor leveling. I would suggest the paved pull thru sites in this campground. The sites are pretty close to one another. We had to use a booster to get a Verizon signal good enough for our hotspot to stream. From talking to people, the other campgrounds have better cell service. This campground is closest to the only dog beach which is near the beach house. The 1.5 mile gravel/sand path to the lighthouse is also at this campground. This is a pretty easy bike ride for kids with only a few spots of deeper sand. We saw people catching fish at the lake (near the dam) and on the beach at the mouth of the river. Plenty to do at this park.

Ludington State Park (LSP) has been one of our favorite destinations for many years. It was always a wonderful place to relax, hike, swim or bike.

One of the primary reasons LSP was so enjoyable was that the rules were enforced for the enjoyment of all campers. Loud music, excessive drinking and "quiet time" violations were quashed by Park Rangers who got out of their vehicles and walked the camping areas.

But that was in years past.

Now, the Rangers are all kids who drive around , but seldom get out of the vehicle and actually do anything. So late night noise goes on unchecked.

We had our grandchildren with us this trip. Getting them to sleep befor midnight was nearly impossible because of the noise from any one of 4 or 5 nearby sites. The Rangers drove through during these times, but took no action.

Considering how difficult it is to secure a site at LSP, its just not worth the effort - to get into the park only to be assailed by loud, late night partying that goes on unchecked.

Extremely cramped campground with seemingly more vehicles than RVs. Surprisingly quiet though. Water and sewer dump 2 miles before entering campground actually quite ideal. In spot 279 the electrical box was more than 70’ from our camper and we had to run off battery instead. Wouldn’t stay here again, but the dunes and beach are fantastic. A 2 out of 10 on our Snobby Camper Scale.

Has potential.... great location. But it is very crowded... luckily my site was on the outer perimeter and we had lots of room, and a lake behind us. But most of the sites are on top of each other. The bathhouse is need of major renovations; the stall doors are falling off, the place was a bit dirty/unkempt, it was really underwhelming. I would not ever stay here again.

I have camped at dozens of Michigan State Parks and Ludington State Park is my favorite mainly for the hiking, natural sand dunes, variety of water activities, and Lake Michigan. Some mentioned bug issues when camping in July, but natives know that this is the case with most Michigan State parks in mid-summer (especially the UP). Last trip was in September 2020 and it was outstanding with little to no insects, great trail hiking and near perfect conditions. So if you try this park, maybe skip mid summer. Some of the sites are small and close to neighbors, so plan accordingly - try and grab a parimeter site early on (you can book sites 6 months in advance). In my experience, only the Beechwood area has workable AT&T and Verizon bandwidth if you plan to do any work while there.