Hoffmaster State Park

This may be the least peaceful campground I've ever stayed in.

We stayed here in mid June. The campground was about 2/3 full. I couldn't imagine how insane it would be if it was completely full. The sites are all "in the woods" but there is no separation between sites and they are very close together, especially for a state park. It "feels" more like a concert or event parking where everyone just pulls in to one big common area. You can see AND hear every camper for at least 10 sites in each direction. There is no real "view" to speak of, just dirt, trees, tents and RVs. But you do feel like you're out in the woods... with a ton of other people.

There are some good trails and beautiful beaches nearby which I think is the main attraction. It is far enough from any main roads that you do feel like you're out of the city, but civilization, with grocery stores, restaurants, etc. is only 5 to 10 minutes away.

Our site had a 20/30 amp pole. I think some tent sites do not have power. There is no water or sewer at the sites but this is a good, clean double dump station which also has clearly marked potable water. Our site, like most, was just dirt. No grass.

This is probably a great place to bring the kids or meet with a larger group. I feel like a grumpy old man writing this review, but this was just not a very pleasant stay for me.

We only stayed one night and site 253 was big enough that we didn't have to unhook the trailer. However, the turns inside the park are very tight, especially when there is more than one car at a site and the cars park on the main road instead of inside the site. We had to back up a couple of times to get around some cars. Bathhouse was clean.

Upon arriving to Hoffmaster it became evident we had entered a very nice campground. Large, with just under three hundred campsites, the state park offers four paved camping loops from which to choose from. Obviously, the closer the loop is to the beaches on Lake Michigan the more popular it becomes. And louder. Not to mention smokier. But all state campgrounds have smoky campfires. It is the one negative that is a long-term deal breaker. Boondocking affords us quiet and good air. But the showers here across from our site #255 are new, clean, hot, and with very good water pressure. Tall stands of pines populate much of the campground. Our site is beefy hardwood which I prefer due to my preference for pummeling acorns rather than pine sap falling onto my rooftop solar panel and A/C unit. There appears to be some very nice hiking trails and I am expecting the dunes area at the end of the park to be magnificent. Bike riding will likely be restricted to the four campground loops, but that in itself is a very nice, and safe, ride that Bob the dog has shown he is definitely up for. It had been six days since Bob had a good run and on the first ride he quickly took off hard to get the yuck inside pushed out of him.

The showers and restroom in our section of Hoffmaster are new, clean, hot, and with good water pressure. The best yet in a Michigan state park environment. But all is not well. Yesterday I had to approach our new neighbors and express to them that I was not feeling good about what appeared to me to be their encroachment into the clearly-marked buffer zone between us. Their tent stakes and tethers did not bother me, nor did their two long clothes lines stretched between the trees. But the two hammocks hanging outside my front door didn’t seem right. It felt unfair. And they agreed immediately to take care of the problem. This was my first encounter with neighbors in a campground, in a possible confrontational situation, and it went very well. I read recently that the truth, if spoken honestly and from the heart, will always come out of your mouth perfectly. Often we stew about things, get angry, plan our attack or manipulation, and consequently create a bigger problem only because we fail to speak honestly from the heart. I have been consciously practicing this new approach for the the last two weeks and have had great success. I am certain this is not the first time I have done this, but I was not previously aware of my actions. Now I am. And I am a better, more likable, person for it.

The town of Muskegon does little to impress one enough to return to the area. Hoffmaster State Park, on the other hand, has much to offer. The hiking trails are many and quite lovely. The forest canopy features mostly pine and oak with high ridges, dunes, and the beautiful Lake Michigan often seen in the foreground. Bob the dog has had many long and safe bike runs covering all four campground loops in the park. The beach allows access for Bob on either side of the beach buoys. All in all a wonderful experience. Once you get your bearings you surprisingly discover the beach is actually a very short walk from any campsite. Beverly was able to swim twice a day and that helped her make the transition from the California good life back to less than a hundred square feet of Oliver trailer amenities.

This campground was full during the weekends while we were here and cleared out some during the week. Fortunately I spent some time studying the campground map and was able to find a site that didn't have another site on one side of it. Otherwise, campsites are not very private and are pretty close together.

This campground has more showers than I've seen at a state park, and I appreciate that they are private rooms with locks, but I didn't like the consistently luke warm water.

The beach is in walking distance from the campground and is pretty small. The state park has a bigger beach you can drive to right outside of the entrance.

Verizon varies throughout the campground. The closer you are to the beach it switches from LTE to Extended. We had to use a booster for work, the stats below are un-boosted.

VERIZON: DOWNLOAD - 2.29Mb/s, UPLOAD - 0.25Mb/s
AT&T: DOWNLOAD - 6.88Mb/s, UPLOAD: 4.33Mb/s