Van Buren State Park

We stayed here with two kids and planned to be here for them. It was loud and they had a blast. They were in love with the park and the number of kids. The site was large and perfect for our pop up camper. Fire pit was perfect for cooking in. The beach was small and not a place to sunbathe but great for rock hunting which we love. The bathrooms were clean and we enjoyed our stay. The campground was full the entire weekend.

This is a large, busy park at the southern end of Michigan's Lake Michigan coastline. The sites are flat, grassy, reasonably well spaced and have electric hookups. The lakeshore is accessed by way of an easy walk through the dunes and is a popular spot for watching the sunset. At night although the campground occupants were quiet, you could definitely hear the traffic on nearby I-196 and a low hum from the nearby Palisades power plant to the south. If you are troubled by noise at night this might not be the place for you. For those out-of-staters who are not used to this process, Michigan (like other Midwest states) requires a use permit (recreation passport) for each vehicle (in addition to the camp fee) which can be purchased online ahead of time or at the park registration.

Cell phone service is important to me and AT&T needs to up their game. Two bars was sufficient for the internet and watching a bit of news with the Amazon fire stick, but I prefer at least three to stop all the occasional buffering. I chose site #208, furthest away from the beach in the hope of escaping loud kids and campfires. Because the park was basically unpopulated for the first three nights and the weather initially turned rainy and cold there wasn’t much else to complain about. The red flag was up at the beach which warned of danger and no swimming allowed. A few long bike rides, a day trip to Saugatuck, lunch at The Curve, all helped to keep the spirits up. The end of summer felt like it was here, and this feeling I grew up with while being raised in northern Michigan. I did not like it then and I do not like it now. So heading back to Florida early may not be such a bad idea. I love endless summer.

What makes this park so special is the half-mile long area of dog-friendly beach on Lake Michigan. The dog beach is actually larger than the public beach. Imagine that! Bob the dog was able to get great walks in, the occasional swim, and plenty of sand to dig a hole to put his body in. The campground is the typical Michigan State Park, close neighbors, too many campfires, partial hookups, clean showers and restrooms, and no laundry facilities. But having the beach within walking distance is a huge plus. And the paved bike trail makes getting exercise easy and safe. The western side of Michigan is far too busy for my taste. The traffic fast and frenetic. Van Buren State Park is a haven within the center of madness. Venture out at your own peril.

First, we went to Holland and were put off by the lack of space at the Macatawa and Beach Campgrounds there. The Beach Campground was so packed that we would not have been able to put our awning out.

So, we backtracked to Van Buren State Park and we’re so happy that we did!

The Campground was spacious as compared to the ones in Holland. The showers were busy, but lean. There were well-equipped playgrounds for the kids as well as activities scheduled on certain mornings and evenings. There was a nice path to the beach as well as a nice bike path to South Haven.

South Haven was a charming town with a beautiful lighthouse and wharf as well as a nice sand beach and beautiful old houses. There was also great shopping and restaurants.

When we left, the camp hosts were directing traffic at the dump station. They were super organized and ran it like a track meet. We were out of there in no time!

VanBuren State park is beautiful! Lake Michigan beach access within easy walk from campground on maintained trail; sites are quite large, campground is well-maintained and clean. Playgrounds for the kids, fire rings and picnic tables at all sites, many of which have mature trees for shade. Dogs are allowed, leashed, in campground and on trails, but not on beach. We have stayed here in late fall (beautiful autumn colors due to the forested areas of the park) but not during the height of summer season so cannot comment on noise factors during busy times.