Au Sable River Camping consists of 102 dispersed primitive campsites along the banks of the Au Sable River in the Huron National Forest. Sites are listed as "D" for drive-in, "C" for canoe-in and "W" for walk-in. The permit season was just extended from mid-April to mid-November but unless you plan ahead with reservations at Recreation.gov, getting a permit on site isn't easy. There are no registration kiosks or payment tubes at the campgrounds. When I called the Monument Visitor Center they were closed. I drove there and the sign said: "Visitor Center closed for Season" - it was April 25th. I didn't sweat it and enjoyed a night camping for free.

Other than locals out on the river during the day, few others were around. This weekend was essentially very beginning of the season up here as it is still getting down into the 30s at night. But it was a sunny warm day and a perfect time to revisit one of my favorite, less traveled, areas of Michigan.

The road into this camping area was a bit rutted but not bad and not many low hanging branches either. All these primitive sites have a fire ring and that is it. This site has a commanding view of the river so taking in the long 3-hour sunset was pure bliss.

Be sure to check out the guide to touring the Scenic Byway - https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hmnf/recreation/scenicdrivinginfo/recarea/?recid=18982&actid=105