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Campsite

Location

Distance by water following the coastline from access point

Landowner

Permit required

Fee

Vehicle access

Notes

Niessen site

46°47'22.00"N

87°36'33.80"W

6 miles from Big Bay Marina

Private landowner has given permission for watertrail use




Cobblestone beach, no rough water landing. No fires allowed. 2 tent pads. Composting toilet

Little Presque Isle

046º 38’ 11.40” N 087º 28’ 19.38” W

25 miles from Big Bay Marina

Escanaba River State Forest, DNR

X



Paddle up Harlow Creek and camp anywhere on the west side of County Road 550 (the bridge over the creek). Camping is not allowed between the lake and CR-550. No designated sites

Chocolay Marina

046º 29’ 46.56” N 087º 20’ 55.23” W

Located at Chocolay Marina access point

Chocolay Township



X

Approximately 2/3 of a mile from Lake Superior on the Chocolay River. 2 tent pads

Gitche Gumme Campground

046º 29’ 21.24” N 087º 13’ 17.92” W

7 miles from Chocolay Marina

Private - commercial campground


X

X

Flight of steps up from beach. Commercial campground across Highway M-28. Showers

Laughing Whitefish River

046º 31’ 16.39” N 087º 01’ 40.00” W

19 miles from Chocolay Marina

Escanaba River State Forest, DNR

X



Paddle up Laughing Whitefish River. No designated sites

Five mile point

046º 28’ 32.79” N 086º 44’ 12.53” W

42 miles from Chocolay Marina

Hiawatha National Forest Service




Landing is on exposed sandstone, no rough water landing possible. No designated sites

Bay Furnace Recreation Area

046º 26’ 30.99” N 086º 42’ 20.30” W

46 miles from Chocolay Marina

Hiawatha National Forest Service


X

X


Munising Tourist Park

046º 26’ 29.83” N 086º 40’ 38.91” W

47 miles from Chocolay Marina

City of Munising


X

X

Showers

Woodland Park

046º 40’ 29.88” N 089º 59’ 28.02” W

42 miles from Sand Point

Burt Township


X

X

Just west of Grand Marais Harbor and east of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Showers. Access to restaurants and grocery store in Grand Marais

Campsite

Location

Landowner

Fee

Access to inland water

Notes

Perkins Park

Big Bay

Marquette County

X

X

Showers. On beautiful Lake Independence. Nearby grocery and paddle shops as well as restaurants. Not possible to paddle to/from Lake Superior due to private property alongside the dam

Harlow Lake

Between Big Bay and Marquette on CR 550

Escanaba River State Forest, DNR


X

No designated campsites & DNR permit required. DNR rents cabins on/near Harlow Lake. Hiking & mountain biking trails. Harlow Creek is shallow in places with windfall. It can be challenging to paddle to/from Lake Superior and is not recommended

Marquette’s Tourist Park

North part of town on the way to Big Bay

City of Marquette

X

X

Showers. Nearby bike path. On the Dead River. Approximately 1 mile from Lake Superior but it is necessary to portage 2/3 of a mile around a shallow section and past a dam

Water Accessible Campsites


Between Grand Marais and Munising campsites administered by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Grand Island National Recreation Area offer the most developed campsites in terms of numbers, facilities and regulations. Please check their websites for more information. Please note the regulations for each area are different.


 The table below lists the water accessible campsites between Big Bay and Munising (as well as one just east of PRNL in Grand Marais).

Notes:

- X means the campsite has those features, a blank space means it does not

- Please check with the landowner for their rules and regulations as they vary

- Assume camping is in a designated campsite unless noted otherwise

Off The Water Trail Drive-In Camping


 Between Grand Marais and Munising, there are vehicle accessible campsites off the water trail administered by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Hiawatha National Forest. Please go to their websites for more information.


 The table below lists the vehicle accessible campsites off the water trail between Big Bay and Munising. See the above table for campsites on the water trail with vehicle access.

Notes:


- X means the campsite has those features, a blank space means it does not

- Please check with the local Chamber of Commerce/visitor center for more information

Trout Bay

Grand Island National Recreation Area