MI National Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

We just got back from a trip to the NL - we camped from Thursday to Tuesday in the Platte River Campground. Great sites, great facilities, and it's in a beautiful area of the state. We brought the kayaks and paddled the Platte and Betsie Rivers - the Platte was crowded with families and had a bit of a party atmosphere, while the Betsie was very quiet and plenty of wildlife along the way. We were there about 7 years ago and have talked about getting back - I'd recommend the area highly. There's a ton to see and do all along the Lake Michigan/Traverse Bay coast - it's about a 6 hour drive north from Chicago.

 

We,(we being my, G son, daughter and her family) spent a week there last summer. Worked great as a hub to day tour from. Michigan is a beautiful state, especially along the Great Lakes. I very highly recommend it.

 

We spent the long Columbus Day weekend in the Platte River Campground, getting home last night. The weather was perfect - mid 70's for highs and mid 50's for lows. Crowds are gone, and we hit the fall colors at their peak.
Took the kayaks again and paddled the Platte, which ends in Lake Michigan. The Platte is mostly shallow, with a sand/rock mix for it's bed. And the salmon were running! It was fun watching some of those monsters swimming right under us.
Got in a couple of hikes, too. A great place to see.