Platte River Campground
Sleeping Bear, near Honor · Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Four paved loops in northern hardwood and conifer, south end of Sleeping Bear near Honor. The drive-in sites run large and well treed with decent spacing, so you get shade and some screening. Loops 1 through 3 have electric, Loop 4 is non-electric. Flush toilets and hot showers in every loop, plus a dump station. The Platte River is right there with a paddle launch. Lake Michigan beach is about a mile and a quarter out by trail, not a step from your tent. The walk-in tent sites sit close together with little privacy, so weigh that. Reservations only through recreation.gov, no walk-ins, and summer weekends fill months out. A park entrance pass is required on top of the camping fee.
From above. USDA NAIP, public domain.The vibe
Works for hammock, tent, RV, van / car. Measured dark skies, a real one for stargazing.
Hanging a hammock?
Hammocks are fine in Michigan state parks. There's no rule against them. The rule is about the tree: use wide, tree-friendly straps, no nails or wire, and don't tear the bark. The state sets no strap or tree-size requirement, so when in doubt, ask the park. We'll point you at sites that likely have trees worth hanging from, but we can't see the trunks, so eyeball it on arrival.
The facts
- 179 reservable sites.
- Has accessible sites.
- Reserved through recreation.gov, not us. We don't track openings here yet.
South end of Sleeping Bear near Honor, about 10 min south of Empire and roughly 40 min southwest of Traverse City.
Thicket is not the National Park Service and not affiliated with it. The facts come from the federal RIDB (public domain); the vibe read is our estimate from open data (OpenStreetMap, USGS elevation, NASA Black Marble nighttime light). Sites, fees, and access can change. Confirm and book at recreation.gov, and leave no trace.