Rifle River Recreation Area

We stayed at the Ranch Campground.  This one is rustic, so no electricity or running water.  Rifle River Recreation Area has an electric campground and 3 rustic campgrounds.      

😊 = Good
😐 = Okay
😞 = Lousy

Beach/Swimming  😐 = Okay

In the Ranch campground you swim in the river.  There are 2 other lakes you can swim in at Rifle River Rec Area.  Devoe Lake and Grousehaven.  Neither lake is stellar and quite frankly, the river is your best bet.   

Campsites 😊 = Good

This is the view from my campsite.  

Campsites are large and most have quite a bit of privacy.  

Bathrooms  😞 = Lousy

Only an outhouse.  I was trying not to plug my nose during the photo shoot.  Some guy walks up and gives my photographer a really strange look.  She tried to explain that she was taking pictures for a Camping Barbie Blog.  He looked at her and said "Well, everybody has to do something."  Can you even believe it?  I mean come on, doesn't everyone know who I am?  I'm famous, right? 

Playground 😞 = Lousy

Ranch Campground only has this swing set.  The other campgrounds have more playground equipment.  

Dog Beach 😐 = Okay

No dog beach, but if you are one of the few to camp right on the river your dog can swim to their heart's content.  

Worst thing about this park:

Loud generators!  Seriously folks, if you need to run your generator all day or all night, don't camp in rustic.  So annoying.  

Best thing about this park:

This is the canoe launch in the campground.  It's a 5 minute walk from our campsite and you can put your tube in here, then float back to the campsite.  It's a nice 20 minute float. 

What else is there to do:  

Canoe, kayak, tube, fish.  Lots of hiking and biking trails.  

Want more information?

http://www.shorelinevisitorsguide.com/select-michigan-state-park-maps-and-guides/rifle-river-state-park/

Want to camp here?  

https://www.midnrreservations.com/

Warren Dunes, Muskegon, and Misc.

It has been awhile since I blogged.  To be honest, I was having quite a bit of trouble bending my arms and legs.  So I called my friend, Dr. MATTel.  He used to work for a toy company in California.  Now he lives in Florida.  He drove up in his camper and helped me out.  I feel like a new person!  

This is Dr. MATTel with his wife Mary at Warren Dunes State Park

So this blog is short because I only spent one night at each of the parks and I wasn't feeling great yet.  I'll just cover some highlights.

Warren Dunes State Park

Best things about this park:  
Tons of big sand dunes.  
Pretty beach, 2 miles long.  Lots of sand.  

Super cool Round Barn Winery close by.  

Worst things about this park:
From the campground you have no idea you are camping near a lake, or even that there is sand anywhere nearby.  
The bathrooms were crowded and smelly, I had to wait in line just to use the toilet in the campground.  
The beach is quite a distance from the campground and the only way to bike to the beach is to ride on the road. There are no bike paths!  This park has over a million visitors annually as such it is one of Michigan's busiest parks. It feels quite treacherous biking with heavy traffic on the road.  

Muskegon State Park

Best things about this park:
Nice beach that is accessible from the campground.  

Shady sites in some big trees.

Cute ice cream shop right at the edge of the park with a trail through the fence.  



Worst things about this park:
I ate too much.  

The Apex:
After driving up the coastline of Lake Michigan, we ended up at Sleeping Bear Dunes.  A MUST see for anybody who loves sand or Lake Michigan or experiencing God's beautiful and amazing creations.  

See how tiny those crazy people are?  

It's 450 feet down an extremely steep sand slope.