Hovey Lake Campground

Not sure how people camp here in the summer with all the bugs. We scoped the place out to see if our rig was going to fit and upon exiting the vehicle we were legitimately SWARMED by numerous different types of flies, wasps, bees, dragonflies, butterflies, etc. I assume this is a beautiful place closer to “off season” times of the year because there is no way this could be enjoyable.

Also absolutely NO travel trailers unless you’ve got a teeny tiny pop up. No turn arounds for rigs!

We loved staying on Hovey Lake! It is secluded and far enough away from other campers for privacy. There were a few bigger rv / pull in spots and we were lucky enough to secure one. There were a other sites a little smaller and a bit harder to drive to unless you have a small vehicle. Our site had a small path to walk down to lake, only about 20 ft away. The lake is beautiful and we saw swans and a few other water birds. We stayed Labor Day and night and there were barely any bugs. This spot provides a pure wilderness experience. Be careful on the drive in— directions from this app did not make us turn the correct way at first and we headed down the ATV path. Also, if you walk around on trails nearby just be mindful of no trespassing signs and private property which borders some areas. Great find and stay! We had a peaceful night!

The campsites at Hovey Lake are a gem of the UP. Meg and I arrived around noon and found one available spot. Another opened later in the afternoon and was occupied soon after. Get there early if you want to increase your chances of securing a space.

There is a water pump and clean toilets (bring your own toilet paper). Firewood is abundant on the forest floor so don’t waste your money on a bundle.

Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. The area of each space is generous in size and there is a good distance between each site. If you find the grounds are full, try asking someone if you can share their site. (We made fast friends with a gal who asked if we would share our site.)

A bonus of our stay was meeting some mushroom and berry hunters who were at site 1. They shared their harvest with us and taught us how to scavenge for the fruits of the forest.

After staying at Hovey, it’s hard to imagine why one would stay elsewhere in the surrounding areas.

I was the only person out here the 2nd week of October, when the colors around the lake were SPECTACULAR. It’s a gorgeous location. Do NOT follow google maps when they tell you to turn off Buckhorn onto Blueberry Trail. It’s only a 2-track through the sand. If you go maybe 250 yards further, there is a dirt road called the Hovey Lake road. Take that, and there’s a sign after maybe 3/4 mile that shows you well here to turn for the campsite- it’s forest road 2367.
There is no cell service (at least, no Verizon) at the campground. However, maybe 3 miles back up Buckhorn there is a lodge that advertises free WiFi. I pulled into their parking lot & accesses it- no password needed.

We loved camping here in late July. There were 4 campsites and all of them were taken by sunset. Google Maps may have you take Blueberry Lane the last 1/4 mile to the campground. Do yourself a favor and go the extra 50 feet to the forest service road. Blueberry Lane seems to have been created for ATV's. There was water there but it came for an old pump and the water looked brackish. There are a couple of pit toilets on the loop on the far end of the campground. For a more complete review with video and drone footage, feel free to visit our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/hnCq8rCseNI We camped here in a truck camper. A Class C came by later in the afternoon. They made it to a site but branches were scrapping the rig often.