Lake Huron (Mostly)

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Table of Contents

  • 17 days
  • 2018 Fall

We’d heard lots of good things about Door County in Wisconsin so we thought we’d check it out. It’s sometimes called the Cape Cod of the midwest, as is Tawas Point in Michigan, so we hit both of those, with Cheboygan in between. It was a relaxing trip and we got to see some areas of our home state that we don’t get to often, and I’m glad we went to Door County so we don’t have to wonder about it or visit again. I still prefer the Lake Michigan coast of Michigan. The scenery is more dramatic and there’s a wider variety of restaurants to choose from. 

Food & Beverage $25 per day*

Meals were pretty evenly split between eating out and eating in camp.

Lodging $25-$40 per night

Camping, plus the cost of state park passes for both Michigan and Wisconsin for access to state parks, included in Entertainment. We towed our travel trailer.

Transportation $430

Cost of gas and bridge tolls. We drove our own truck. Total mileage was 1291.

Entertainment $178

State park passes were $48. The rest was for firewood. Hiking was free!

Day 1: Straits State Park

The Plan: We wanted to get across the Mackinac Bridge our first night.

The Reality: We achieved that. Site #77, near the lake. Not as nice as #81 where we camped last year, but we still didn’t have to unhitch the trailer. 

Days 2-6: Door County, Wisconsin

The Plan: We heard Door County is very beautiful and “the Cape Cod of the midwest” so we decided to go and compare since we’ve also been to Cape Cod. We planned to hike every other day and drive around to check out the scenery.

The Reality: We did three very different hikes at three different parks in the county. We also covered most of the county by driving. The villages are cute and did remind us of Cape Cod and New England in general. They also reminded us why we don’t visit cute villages more often. We’re happy we went to Door County and prefer wilder and less manicured.

  • Hiked Eagle trail at Peninsula State Park
  • Hiked at Whitefish Dunes State Park
  • Hiked at Newport Bay State Park
  • Visited Cave Point County Park
  • Drove around most of Door county
  • Attended a fish boil at the Old Post Office

We had two sites in South Nicolet campground in Peninsula State Park. (We couldn’t get five nights on the same site.) Site #746 was really nice and secluded. Site #748 had no privacy at all.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and the destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Days 7-11: Cheboygan State Park, Michigan

The Plan: We haven’t spent much time on Lake Huron, sometimes called “the sunrise coast” of Michigan, or in fact in the upper eastern part of the state in general. And it sounded like there was nice hiking at Cheboygan State Park. 

The Reality: The hiking we did at Cheboygan State Park was nice, with lots of beach and water views. Ocqueoc Falls were a disappointment for the largest falls in the lower peninsula and the trail along Mullett Lake would be more pleasant on a bike than on foot. 

  • Hiking in Cheboygan State Park
  • Hiking at Ocqueoc Falls
  • Hiking alongside Mullett Lake at Topinabee

Site #48. The site is on the lakeshore but there’s a lot of woods to scramble through to get there, and no beach when you do.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and the destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Days 12-16: Tawas Point State Park, Michigan

The Plan: I remember camping near Tawas once with my grandparents when I was a kid, and recall a nice beach and a pier. And since we’ve also seen Tawas Point described as “the Cape Cod of the midwest” we thought we’d make that comparison too.  

The Reality: We must have camped at the private campground in town next to the pier, not at the state park. But minus the pier the state park is a much nicer campground with more space and a better beach. The hiking in the state park and along the Au Sable was great. Due to the weather, we swapped our last planned hike for a visit to the Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area instead. It’s a pleasant, low-key spot near Oscoda. 

  • Hiking Sandy Point in the state park
  • Hiking the Highbanks trail along the Au Sable river
  • Hiking the Chippewa trail at Negwegon State Park
  • Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area

Site #23. The site is on the lakeshore but it’s quite a ways from the actual water. There is a campers’ beach in the campground, within easy walking distance.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and the destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Resources

  • We used a Falcon Guide to hiking in Michigan (paperback) that we’ve had for years.
  • The Michigan DNR website has lots of good information on Michigan state parks.

We buy Christmas ornaments on each trip. The hiking boot clip-on from Door County was a no-brainer. The fox was just cute.