If you dream of camping inside the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, then you’ll definitely want to take a close look at Platte River Campground!

We absolutely love traveling to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area and we do it at least one or twice every year. We typically take day trips, although in 2021, we decided to stay longer.

We were unable to get a site inside the national park, however, so we camped at Interlochen State Park and drove back and forth each day. It was a bit of a drive but we were much closer than if we drove home each night so it worked for us.

That trip made us even more eager to camp WITHIN the national lakeshore in 2022. So, we chose a weekend that was well before the busy season, then backtracked 6 months and wrote that date on the calendar. Our determination paid off because we successfully reserved a site!

We enjoyed our stay at Platte River Campground but there are a few unique challenges that you should be aware of as you’re planning your own trip.

4 Things We Loved About Platte River Campground:

1 – It’s Quiet

The park is well off of the main road and the sites are far apart. We never heard our neighbor, partly because of the separation between campsites and partly because people who stay at national parks are often there because they enjoy nature and are less likely to have loud parties than in some campgrounds.

2 – Close to the Platte River and Lake Michigan

If you like to kayak or canoe, this is an excellent location as the campground is just across the street from the Platte River, hence the name. Riverside Canoes has kayaks and canoes that you can rent. There’s also a public launching area if you want to float using your own equipment.

Lake Michigan is only a couple of miles away so that’s another great nearby attraction. Just be careful which beach you decide to frequent. When we visited, we decided to walk from North Bar Lake to the big lake and we were swarmed by bugs. If you’re interested, you can see that experience below.

3 – Clean, Modern Bathrooms and Showers

We only have a cassette toilet for middle-of-the-night visits so we rely heavily on the campground bathrooms when we travel. These didn’t disappoint.

I would say the bathrooms were some of the better ones we have experienced during our travels. They seemed to be newly remodeled and they were clean every time we used them. We definitely appreciated that!

4 – Inside the National Park

The campground is within the National Lakeshore, although it is on the southern end, which you can read more about below. This area is fairly remote with only a few small towns nearby so having somewhere to camp WITH ELECTRICITY made our stay so much more enjoyable.

4 Things We Disliked About Platte River Campground:

1 – Active Bear Area

Technically, the campground is in an active bear area which means you need to take extra precautions when staying in the park. You can’t brush your teeth or wash dishes at the campsite, store your cooler outside, or keep any food outside of your car or camper.

They do have a dishwashing station at the bathrooms, which helps. But having to take these extra precautions definitely adds a level of complexity to your trip.

While we understand having to be careful, bear sightings are extremely rare in this area. If we had gotten to see a bear while there, the extra work might have been worth it. LOL

2 – Strange Layouts

The campsites in the park have strange layouts. The vast majority of them have a short path between the camper pads and the firepits/living areas. Many of these were either behind the camper or on the side opposite of the camper door, which was odd.

Plus, the rangers make a point of telling you they don’t want any of your setup/gear off of the parking pad so it’s difficult to make the area around your camper as homey as normal.

That being said, there is a lot of room on each site and privacy between them as well. The loops are also more separated than in some campgrounds so you definitely get to a peaceful, woodsy experience.

3 – No cell service or Wi-Fi in the park

The cell coverage in the entire Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is spotty but seems to be nonexistent inside the campground. This is fine if you’re on a vacation and want to get away from technology but it’s more difficult if you need to be able to get some work done while traveling.

Fortunately, Empire isn’t too far away and we were able to find reliable service there. So, we stopped in town for a few minutes as we drove back and forth to check things out and get a little bit of work done. Not ideal but it worked for our needs.

4 – At the South End of the Park

Platte River Campground is at the southern end of the National Lakeshore, which is 35 miles long. And most of the popular attractions are near the north end of the park, which means you will find yourself doing a lot of driving during your stay. The D. H. Day Campground is more in the thick of things but it is a rustic campground so that holds its own challenges.

Would We Go Back?

Absolutely. We have a few sites we would target that had the living space set up in a way that we preferred. But even if we couldn’t get one of those, we would grab a different site.

In fact, we’re already making plans to return in the fall. It’s an absolutely beautiful area to explore and we can’t get enough of the dunes and the history. If you’re planning to visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, we give this campground two thumbs up!

Area Attractions

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
– Pierce Stocking Drive
– Dune Climb
– Glen Haven Historical Village
– Port Oneida Historical Area
– Bike the 22 mile Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
– Lots of hiking trails including the Pyramid Point Trail and Alligator Hill (see more of the Alligator Hill Trails in the video below)

Empire
– Empire Bluff Trail
– Kayaking
– Lake Michigan beach

Glen Arbor
– Crystal River Outfitters
– Boone Docks Restaurant
– Shopping

Leland (Fish Town)
– Charter Fishing
– Tour/Shop in the historic village

Honor
– Riverside Canoes
– Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre
– Esch Beach

North and South Manitou Islands

How Do I Get There?

For More Information

You can find out more information or make your reservations on the National Park Service website or you can follow Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Facebook or Instagram.

Address and Contact Info:
5685 Lake Michigan Road, Honor, MI 49640
Reservations: 1-877-444-6777
Office Phone: 231-326-4700 ext 5029