Camping along Lake Michigan, Indiana or Michigan?

[rtiedeken]

All--

I am looking to take my TT this summer to Lake Michigan to enjoy the beaches along the lake. I am from NJ and miss the beach. I have no idea where to go. I have never been but would like to park the TT somewhere with hook ups, and have easy access to the beach and lake. I live just South of Indianapolis and am looking for any suggestions from anyone that has taken a similar trip.

Thanks in advance.

[dewey02]

Michigan certainly has many more opportunities than Indiana, and it has many more miles of shoreline. Many state parks all the way from the Indiana line up to the UP. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore is also great.

But you might also want to travel to Indiana, which has Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (I used to work there as a Park Ranger). The state park campground has electrical hookups, the national lakeshore campground has none at all. Both dune parks are great, but are generally sandwiched in between industrial areas (US steel in Gary, what used to be Bethlehem Steel and Midwest Steel in Burns Harbor, and a power plant with a large cooling tower in Michigan City, IN)

If you were to visit just one state - Michigan is the clear choice for many more parks and dune experiences.

[secal48]

If you go up the other side of the lake there's Illinois state beach park in Zion, il. Or if you head up into Wisconsin there's a lot on the lakeshore all the way up to door county. On the Michigan side there's also a ton of great campgrounds, one of our favorites is the park at Holland. Not too far up north, and lots of great tourist spots to check out. Either way, have fun.

[Sundancer330]

Check the Michigan State Parks reservation system, https://www.midnrreservations.com/MichiganStateParks
You can click on the map and it will locate State Parks along Lake Michigan, its also part of the reservation system so you can check available dates. My favorite State Park on Lake Michigan is located in Grand Haven, the campground is right on the beach, there are maybe 40 sites out of the 200 that you back right to the sand and its a few hundred feet to the lake. All sites have power, no water or sewer hookups. The reservations fill up fast, they are booking up to early August right now.