Platte River Campground

We stayed 3 nights but with all the outdoor activities it would have been nice to stay longer. The campground appears large and I guess it is; however, each site is asphalt with electrical. You must fill up prior to entering site. You have so much room on each site. Private with neighbors at a distance. Bathrooms are super clean and such wonderful hot water. Wood is cheaper outside park. Location is great to so many activities.

We camped in this perfect campground in early October, Loop 1, site 121 paved pull-through with 30 amp hookup. Our rate was $18.00 per night with our Senior Pass. The site was level and included a picnic table, fire ring, with plenty of shade. Clean restrooms and free hot showers were nearby, water and trash receptacles were located at the restroom area. The campground was full, yet very peaceful, and located within a heavily wooded area. A 1.2 mile easy hiking trail to the beach was located next to our campsite. The beach area was very nice, we found a tree log on the beach to sit and watch the waves roll in. This is one of the nicest National Parks Campgrounds I have ever visited, and would definitely stay here again.

This campground has everything we expect from a national park campground -- large, well-spaced sites and and excellent location for accessing trails, beaches, and waterways -- and more. This is one of very few NPS campgrounds to offer electric service AND bathhouses with clean, modern flush toilets and individual shower rooms. As an added bonus, there is also good cell coverage at the campground. On ATT we measured 30-40 down, 5 up.

Honestly, there is nothing bad to say about this campground. RV sites are paved and ours was perfectly level. There are plenty of long sites for larger rigs -- I recommend backins instead of the pull-thoughs which tend to be quite tight and better for smaller rigs. There are large, well-maintained pads with a picnic table, fire ring, and plenty of room for tents or canopies. The pads tend to be set back from the main sites, making the sites feel enormous. Electric service was flawless. Potable water is available at the dump station and at locations throughout the camping loops. There are bathhouses on every loop with private unisex toilets and shower rooms. The park offers recycling.

The campground is directly on the Platte Plains trail network. It is an easy, level walk of about 1 mile from loop 1 (the furthest loop) to the beach, and the trail system covers about 15 miles. There is a canoe launch across from the campground entrance, and an outfitter on the other side of the river for people who want to do one-way float trips. The campground is also fairly close to the Point Betsie lighthouse and the Old Indian Trail system. It's about 10 miles north to the main visitor center at Empire and less than 25 miles north to the very tip of park property. We found the location to be excellent for exploring the park, especially since some of the lesser-known (but equally scenic) spots near the campground were a lot less crowded than the famous Dune Climb or Pierce Stocking Drive. Groceries, gas, laundry, etc. are readily available in Benzonia, Frankfort, Empire, and other towns within 5-10 miles of the campground.

The government campgrounds are the best and this one is no exception. We stayed in loop #1 with electricity. Spacious and private sites with fire rings and picnic tables. The only noise was from acorns falling on rv's. There is a walking trail (Dog friendly but no bikes) to the beach from the campground. Bicyclists can take a short path from loop 4 and jump on the little used Peterson Road for a ride to the beach. When we went to the beach we had the place to ourselves. Unbelievably gorgeous views. The campground is on the southern end of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Most of the trails and the scenic drive are about 10 miles to the north, 5 stars hands down.

National campgrounds can't be beat; no exception here. Second time here. We're in the woods, with privacy, clean toilets and showers, level site, dry firewood at the general store just down the road, power only hook up, and lots to do. In response to rainy weather, went with friends to Empire for a root beer and burger at Joe's then the national park visitor center. There is an abandoned RR trail in the CG that goes to Lake Michigan. There's a bike path going to the lake as well. Next time we'll get to Sleeping Bear National Park.

With a Senior Pass, it was only $18 for an electric only site. We had a nice flat, paved site. LOTS of space between campsites. Showers were nice and the bathhouse has an outdoor sink area. Great location, only 20 minutes to the "Big Dune" hike. Cell coverage on both AT&T and Verizon was slow; I was using a cell booster and couldn't upload photos, but was fine for email and reading news.