Last year we took a 10 day road trip through nine states and boondocked each night in a different free camping area. When we traveled through Michigan from South to North it took us three days, so we camped at two different sites on our way through.
(About a quarter mile east of the trail you will find this cove where the scenery is amazing.)
Having been born and raised in Michigan I'm no stranger to it's rugged natural beauty with all the State and National Forests that occupy the area. Beyond the forests and being surrounded by many of the Great Lakes, Michigan is home to over 600 inland lakes and as many rivers, streams and creeks.
My father is from the Upper Peninsula and I went up there once as a kid, but that was the only time I was ever up there. I have since moved away from the state and hadn't been back for a visit in over a decade. When Tom(the elderly gentlman I care for) told me he had never traveled through Michigan, but wanted to I was down for a trip.
(There's a creek that flows into Lake Michigan that runs throughout the Rest Area. The shoreline is a great place to walk your pets and let them stretch their legs.)
My favorite website to find free camping sites is hands down freecampsites.net. The only other one that comes close to utility is campendium, but it doesn't sort the free and pay sites for you, so when you are on the road it's just a hassle to go to each one just to find it's not free. Today's proximity site for the night was the Naubinway Rest Area on HWY 2 not too far west of the Mackinaw Bridge.
(This is looking east into the cove. The views here are nothing like the shoreline anywhere along Lake Michigan's lower shores, which tend to be more plain.)
I'm not a fan of rest stop areas, because they tend to be loud day and night with bright lights blaring everywhere, but it was the only thing available so on our way we went. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised that not only wasn't it right on the side of the highway, but it sat right along the Northern shore of Lake Michigan.
(The flowers were blooming everywhere along the beach. This is the Versicolor Iris that I've only seen growing in sculpted gardens, never in the wild.)
The Rest Area's building itself sat underneath a canopy of trees and the parking area was surrounded by trees as well. It's even a log cabin. We were essentially in the middle of the woods with a short walk to the lake shore.
Being in Michigan's Upper Peninsula there's very little traffic, so there was little traffic when we were there and we actually enjoyed hanging around. The scenery along the lake shore was breathtaking and it's listed on Fodor's Travel Website.
We traveled through nine states camping in seven of them and the photos I shot here were easily among the best from the trip. It turns that it's a public beach access and there's more parking about a quarter mile West if you prefer that setting.
(I envy this lone duck that calls this area home. The lighting was perfect that day to get such a dreamy effect naturally.)
The public parking there has a much better view from your vehicle, since the tree line isn't as thick. Though this area sits right next to the highway, so expect to hear the traffic. If I'm ever back up that way I will definitely be staying there again.
I was about to add the details for this area, but upon a bit of research and digging up the coordinates to share, it looks like the rest area is no longer listed on the free camping sites and there are signs declaring that there's no overnight parking in either area. That being said, I'm sure law enforcement has better things to do than to harass overnight parkers and everyone who's reviewed both areas has noted they've had to issues.
(This Tiger Lily along with the Versicolor Iris were hardly the only colors on this beach. It was accompanied by many others, especially Milk Weed, which is the sole food for the Monarch Butterfly. I would love to be here when they are feeding.)
We certainly didn't. That being said, spend the night at your own risk. You've been told.
Ok, I'll still share the info, because when you've driving for hours and need a place to stop and rest, these will still do.
MDOT's website doesn't mention no overnighting, but I'm not much for following victimless rules anyway. If you choose to follow the rules, that's fine. It's definitely worth a stop here to stretch your legs, let your dogs run along the lakeshore and maybe even have a picnic.
The coordinates for the rest area are,
46.095236,-85.391828
The coordinates for the Public Beach Access parking are,
46.097185,-85.396833
Highway 2 itself brings you coast to coast, with much of it being designated a scenic byway. So, the next time you want to travel across America, research if this is a good option for you to use.
I've started a community called Free Campsites where I'll be publishing all the free and cheap camping areas I cover. Feel free to add your own. The goal is to make Hive a contender for this information and make Hive the go to place for it.
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