• Sites – We stayed in sites 58 and 60, which, although adjacent, were pretty secluded from one another. If you do plan on getting adjacent sites, 62 & 64 were prime, as they were flat and grassy without separating trees. The sites in the most of the park were all very high grade, though some had limited space for more than one tent. We came out pretty lucky with a high amount of flat ground to set up our canopies and tents. Sites along the southernmost loop (101-120) tended toward softer ground and could end up pretty swampy should you catch any rain. The southern loop itself felt more secluded per-site, as the trees were a little thicker and the sites a bit more cut into the woods than the northern loop.
  
  All sites are modern, and there's a few ADA accessible sites with huge concrete pads. Some tended on the smaller side, so definitely check the map before making a booking. No on-site sewage or water, like at Hartwick Pines, but there were more water spouts available throughout the park than in any we've stayed in before. There are tons of places to hang hammocks, but I would tend toward the southern loop to guarantee tree coverage, as there were more than a few all-grass spots in the northern loop.
  
  
  <sup>This was one of our sites that we gave to my brother-in-law, and was pretty typical of the park
  
  
  Site 60, however, had a big grassy lawn with soft ground, so we had enough room to set up all our poo poo</sup>
  
  Mrs. Lunchables Best Sites for Adjacent Camping: 168 &159, 64 & 62 (as mentioned above). 168 & 159 share adjacency back-to-back, which could offer more privacy for a group, should that be a concern.
  
  
• Facilities – The bathrooms were clean and up to date, though there was a hilariously tall urinal in the Men's of the north section. I'm 6'0" and the bottom of the urinal was at my crotch. I guess they want you to lay your dick on the porcelain or something, but I didn't get drunk enough to try it.
  Either way, the bathrooms were clean and well maintained, and the showers pushed hot water in seconds. They're centrally located for each loop, so they see a lot of traffic, but the staff here (as of 2022) did a stupendous job keeping everything looking good. The water was easily accessible from every site in the park, and it had no sulfurous stink or tang of metallic heaviness. It rates a solid B for facilities, even with the dick bath urinal.
  
  
• Amenities – God drat there’s a ton of poo poo to do here. At the center of the park is Lake Ovid, a reservoir made by damming up the Little Maple River. It’s pretty shallow across the entire lake, never hitting more than 23 feet deep in the entire thing, and it’s an enforced “no wake” lake, so it’s perfect for kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding. When we went, there was a huge flush of common waterweed and other underwater plants. We didn’t look, but there was probably a bunch of bladderwort, an aquatic carnivorous plant. I think that’s neat, carnivorous plants adapted for the waters. The plants are thickest between the big island and the shoreline, which makes for a delightful little kayak area, with the plants sweeping the bottom side of your boat playing a gentle white-noise “whooshing” sound as you skirt over top of them. There are shitloads of fish here from muskie to bluegill, and plenty of fishing piers should you be an angler. Panfish are abundant, and apparently they’re going to be stocking the lake with larger predatory fish should you be after a more sporting fight. No walleye though, so that’s a bummer. There are two smaller islands, the smallest of which has very shallow waters on one side, allowing you to pull a boat up and hop out into ankle deep water. Folks set up hammocks on the island and watch the fisherman lazily troll the lake while flocks of geese paddle the less-traveled areas.
  
  On the north side of the lake, near the campground, is a large sandy beach that’s regularly groomed, replete with standing grills and picnic tables. Be aware! Tree swallows nest in the bathroom building in a significant number, and fly through the roofed area where the bathroom entrances are at alarming speed. My wife was almost hit by a bird, as was my friend.
  
  Kayak, canoe and paddleboard rentals are available for $25/day, which we took advantage of. It’s kind of a hike to the parking lot, so even if you own your own ‘yaks, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to just rent a set for the day. Flanking the beach is a full 18 hole disc golf course. You can also borrow discs, volleyballs, footballs, and other accessories from the main office. When we went, they even had stickers! Who doesn’t like free stickers? Everyone likes free stickers.
  
  There are rustic and modern cabins, hike-in campsites and miles upon miles of trails. There’s even a wheelchair accessible hydraulic lift hunting blind, which is a super cool feature. This area is, from our experience, pretty well traveled with horse riders, and we saw quite a few on the Sunday we walked the Island Loop. I’d love to comment on the trail system, which is extensive and separated into bike/hike and equestrian trails (with small amounts of overlap), but we spent most of our time on the lake. If the rest of the park (and the trails we did hit) were any indication, they’re well groomed and marked, and can offer short or day hikes to suit your needs. Do take heed on the shared hike/bike/equestrian trails: you will come across way too much horse poo poo. Watch the ground should you not want to be ankle deep in a fresh pile.
  
  For the kiddos, there’s a pretty modern playground separate from the park with basketball hoops and all the standard equipment. I don’t think children would complain too much about the availability of stuff to do, though, mostly because of the beach.
  
  
• The Area – Just 30 minutes north of Lansing, Sleepy Hollow feels much further away from civilization than it really is. 10 minutes off of US 127, it’s dead easy to find and comparatively close to anything you’d need. I need to re-emphasize how much this place felt like it was miles away from anything, while still allowing you to be no more than a few minutes from one of the largest cities in Michigan.
  
  
  ^{The orange L is Lansing, home of the Michigan Historical Center and nothing else.}
  
  Laingsburg is maybe the closest town to get to from the park, and has all the basics should you need anything, from groceries to pizza to a hardware store. Standard small-town Michigan fare is on offer here, like music in the park and pancake breakfasts, but nothing that stands out as a must-see. St. Johns is to the West and is much bigger, sitting at a princely population of 8,000 compared to Laingsburg’s 1500. Apparently St. Johns is famous for its mint farming, and holds an annual St. Johns Mint Festival the second weekend of August. Lansing is a half hour to the south, and has every type of store that a city normally offers, should you need something more specific.
  
  
  ^{The maps at the park (thanks Shoreline Visitor’s Guide!) note local business in Ovid, Laingsburg and St. Johns with letters A-G, but you’ll have to visit in person to see what they are.}
  
  
• Warnings – Not too much to say here, apart from some softer ground sites. I’d imagine the whole park could turn into a mud pit should you get constant rain on your trip, but we were pretty impressed by the whole thing. You can drink alcohol openly, bring your dog, and be relatively free from mosquitoes. There’s no nearby army base or airport or anything to drown out the sounds of nature, though you may occasionally see a plane fly overhead as Lansing has a regional (well, international, but still regional) airport. There was cell service with enough coverage to do basically anything you’d want on your phone, so no worries there. All in all, Sleepy Hollow didn’t fail to impress, and there’s not a lot to really put as a “warning,” here. Oh yeah, except for the swallows at the beach bathrooms. Those suckers were in full Kamikaze mode.
  
  
• Who is it best for? – This place is great for everyone. With a decent sized lake and islands to explore, it should be on the list for any weekend kayakers/canoers, and the fishing offered has been some of the best I’ve seen in mid-Michigan. The trails are no doubt less technical for mountain bikers than Fort Custer, but there are miles of em to explore. Hammock campers and hike-in folks will probably find the sites offered to be a little pedestrian, and there are no rustic sites, but this place is super accessible for weekend warriors. Living in Lansing for many years, I’d always heard good things about Sleepy Hollow, but had taken them with a large grain of salt. In my experience, most trolls are soft city kids, so their recommendations on outdoor activities should be treated with a discerning eye. This park, however, was absolutely kickass. It was more accessible than rugged, but still offered something far enough away to feel distinct from the city. The lake was large enough to explore, and the beach was well maintained and well appointed. This might even be on our list for a day trip, as it offers a place to have a decent sized group meet to drink and grill. Similarly, I don’t think there’s a best time of year to visit, though I’d tend toward the warmer months so you could make the most of the lake.

• Sites – The sites were pretty unexciting and average, though many of them were decidedly small. Our site, 84, was situated on a hill that is not visible in the booking pictures. We were lucky that we didn't bring anyone else along, because we wouldn't have been able to set up even a single canopy to eat in. If you don't want your poo poo rolling down a hill, avoid sites 80-86, 99 & 100. Aside from those, most sites seemed sufficient for all types of camping. We counted a record (at the time) 16% tent camper density, and there are plenty of trees to hang hammocks in. Big note here though: those same sites on the hill, 80-86, back up onto a sewage tile field, and they are overwhelmed by the stink. In fact, avoid all sites from 69-86, because we didn't explore the sewage field to see how far back it went.
  
  
  ^{Directly behind our site.}
  
  There are rustic hike-in spots across the lake from the main campground that seemed sufficiently private, but the "hike-in" part is probably no more than 500 feet or so. A big draw for this park is undoubtedly the equestrian sites. There a whole separate campground for horses and trailers, some sites complete with corrals, all with hitching posts, and all mounted directly at the trailhead. We made it a point to walk around the equestrian camp, just to see what it was all about, and they were much nicer and better situated than the regular campground.
  All sites have power and an asphalt pad, as to be expected. There's dispersed water throughout the grounds, but holy poo poo did that stuff stink. It was heavy, sulfurous and metallic. You didn't even want to wash your hands in it, if it could be avoided. Easily the worst water we've had at a state park to date. Add in the stink of horse manure, the sewage field, and all the sulfurous water, you've got a match made in Ionia.
  
  One upside: there are two private Modern Cabins on the west side of the lake that look absolutely amazing. They're separated from the park, are drive-up, and have their own separate beach. They're fully equipped and have all the things you'd expect, plus each cabin comes with a canoe! They're $101.00 a night, and you have to book for at least two nights, but these were one of the cooler cabin setups we've seen.
  
  
  
• Facilities – The bathrooms were one of the worst we've had the misfortune to use. Built and last maintained in about 1986, the facilities that served the entire campground were an absolute dump. The water stank to high heaven, half the showers didn't work, the sinks either didn't turn on or never turned off. There was an exterior facing bathroom labeled "Handicapper" that had a toilet and shower inside, and I used that one, because the toilet stalls themselves were an absolute shambles. This was an embarrassment, and I felt bad for the folks who chose Ionia as their first time camping in Michigan's parks.
  
  
  ^{As the stalls drifted apart during the last ice age, more and more fasteners were added so that you could lock the door. The gaps will never be closed, however.}
  
  
• Amenities – The big draw here is Sessions Lake, which was very nice, and offered a good contrast to the campgrounds. There are fishing platforms and boat launches, a nice sandy beach at the north end, and boat rentals right next to the parking lot. The beach has a fully staffed concessions area with a nice ice cream parlor. They have Track Chairs available to make the trails and beaches more accessible, a detail that I thought was very commendable. I've mentioned the cabins, which deserve another tip of the hat. If you've got a group of friends, try to book both of them for a weekend and just go kayaking and canoeing all day, then come back to electricity and a warm shower at night. There was a very cool disc golf course through the more interesting sections of trail, with shots over rivers and marshes and from the tops of knobs down to landings below.
  
  The trail is, as mentioned above, average at best, though the southern half does all the heavy lifting. The equestrian trails are the star of the show, though. With the trail head directly inside of the equestrian campground, and miles and miles of trail across the entire Recreation Area, this is the horse camper's must-visit. There are bike trails near the railroad tracks, and cross country skiing in the winter, but don't kid yourself: this place is made for horse people.
  
  Playgrounds? Nope! But they got swings! Amenities in general seemed to be lacking here, and if your kids aren't kayaking with you, I'd maybe consider a different park.
  
  
  
• The Area – About four miles south of Ionia, and right along the Grand River, the park isn't hard to get to. It's not adjacent to the freeway, or situated directly in town, but you can pop off I-96 and get to the park in a few minutes. There's a county airport due east from the park, and the skies were constantly filled with single engine craft. It was noisy because of this, so don't expect to have the sounds of nature wake you. Ionia itself has everything you'd need, as it's a well appointed small city, so don't feel too bad if you forgot something.
  
  
  ^{Grand Rapids in salmon and Lansing in orange}
  
  
  
• Warnings – Boy howdy did this place disappoint! The stink from three different sources, the state of bathrooms, the constant droning of aircraft, and a few miles of nondescript trail await you on your next trip to Ionia SRA! There was decent cell service, at least. If you're not here for the horse trails, then just avoid the campground and get out on the lake.
  
  
  
• Who is it best for? – Horse Girls. It's made for Horse Girls. We did see a high(er) amount of tent campers, so that was refreshing. The bread and butter of this whole spot is horses, though. RVs and tents were equally accommodated, but horse trailers were king. Given the relatively flat nature of the surrounding land, I doubt those mountain bike trails had too much to offer beyond a gravel pit. The Rustic Sites were definitely in the upper end for hammock campers, and you can set up overlooking the lake, offering one of the more interesting hammock camping spots. Oh yeah! the cabins were top notch, from what we saw on the water. Definitely keep this place on your list if you're looking to stay in a modern cabin.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Aug 20, 2022

• Sites – The sites were surprisingly large for such a popular campground. Gravel pads for parking with just a buttload of space, so much so that a lot of folks parked their trailers and RVs parallel to the road rather than perpendicular. This picture isn't even the back of our site, but look at all the green space!
  
  
  
  All the sites are modern, with electric outlets, but no sewage or on-site water. Sites on the leftmost spur on the map were the most wooded, offering plenty of cover from just a shitload of oak trees. Hammock campers would do well to stick to the left side, away from the shore to guarantee suitable anchor points. Sites on the right side of the map? Those have loving pull-up boat mooring spots. You literally have waterfront campsites with private docking, and they don't cost anything extra. How cool is that?
  
  I will say that it would probably get quite soggy should it rain hard here because it's quite low and flat. The ground didn't seem to high in clay, though, and given the proximity to the lake it should drain fairly well. e: Wait! I remember! There was a big storm the day before, and our site was as dry as a bone. Hah, take that, presumptions!
  
  
• Facilities – I recall the drinking water having a bit of a heavy smell, though other campers had mentioned that the local water treatment plant had lost power a few days before, and that it normally wasn't as bad as I tasted. These have been the most modern bathrooms we've stayed in yet. I won't say too much, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
  
  
  
  ^{If you're thinking "these don't look that great," buddy, you haven't stayed in enough state parks}
  
  
• Amenities – Aside from the aforementioned private luxury shoreline rental spots, there are standard lakeside amenities. A big ol fishing pier, a sandy swimming area, day use spots to set up picnics, and of course the lake itself. There's a bunch of sandbars right near the park, as well as some islands (Go check the first map for Yankee Springs Island. You can't miss it.). Either enterprising locals, drunk tourists, or perhaps drunk DNR staff put a bunch of picnic tables out in the water, allowing you to sit in the lake but keep the tabletop dry. Pretty cool little spot to grab lunch or take a breather.
  
  There's a shitload of trails of all types, from hooves to wheels across the rec area, and there are 9 smaller ponds^[1] (that someone mislabeled as "lakes") to go explore and fish. Hell, the North Country Trail comes through here. You can walk all the way to Craig Lake State Park from here!
  I wish we had a chance to explore the grounds more, cause it seems like a decent area with lots of hills and twisty little roads, but alas, we were only there for one day.
  
  
• The Area – Eastward from 131, the SRA sits about halfway between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. There's no freeways nearby, but the local highways are easy to navigate. There's a little gas station that has a Hungry Howies in it, should all of your food float away during your lunch on a submerged picnic table. There's also the worst Mexican food I've ever had just outside of the park entrance, at Gun Lake Cocina. Neat!
  
  There's really not much near the park itself though, so you're left out to dry if you forgot anything but the basics. Of course, you're not too far away from Michigan's second largest city, but that's like a 40 minute drive. You drove 40 minutes to get here and pretend you were out in the woods!
  
  
  <sup>I'm beginning to hate my hand-marked little maps, but this shows the relation to Lansing and Grand Rapids better than the fancy one below
  
  
  Boy, it sure is fancy though</sup>
  
  
• Warnings – We had cell service enough to stream music, and probably more should you need it. The park is dog-friendly, though we didn't see any dog beaches, so you might have to torture your pup by making them watch you have fun instead. There isn't too much to put here, cause it was all very decent at a minimum.
  
  
• Who is it best for? – Come camp here if you have a boat. This place is a boater's paradise. There's a million places to explore, a bunch of islands to hoot around, tons of sandbars to park at, and enough DNR officers to guarantee your first ever DUI on the water. But even the unenboated can enjoy this place. There's horse trails (though no dedicated equestrian camping), bike trails, fishing piers, hunting land, hiking trails, hammock trees, bad Mexican food, you name it. This place was also tied for our highest density of tent campers at 16%, though given the size of the lots, you could easily fit about four tents per space. This spot seems very oriented toward summer activity, which shouldn't be surprising given the lake frontage. It's also not a dedicated mosquito habitat™.
  
  Who's it bad for? I guess disc golfers can go piss up a rope. Take that, disc golfers.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Nov 20, 2022

• Sites – The campgrounds are split into two areas, North and South. South is much bigger but the spaces are much more uneven, with dips and soft hills basically loving up quite a few sites. It seems like the North campground was built first, and is in a much better location both in regards to its situation on the lake as well as the quality of the sites. They're all unpaved spaces but are all suitably modern, with standard power outlets and shared potable water sources. There's plenty of green spaces for tents, and the sites themselves are quite large (caveat - check park map for relative size listings). Hammock attachment trees are best found on the outer circles, as tree coverage in the middle is fair but not guaranteed. The soil is very sandy, though quite hard-packed, so bring a hammer or hatchet to pound in your tent stakes. We stayed in site 167, which was, from what we could tell, the absolute best site in the park.
  
  
  
  Because about 1/3 of the campground sits directly on the lake, these are the spaces you're gonna wanna try to book. There was a large public "no camping" lot next to our site, and after that the bathrooms, so we had a lot of folks noticing that our tent had a chimney with wood smoke pouring out of it. In fact, three separate couples came up to talk to us on Sunday about our setup, mostly with the wives broaching the topic, then the husbands getting child-like excited after being told it was in fact a wood stove, not a heater, and of course that they could look inside the tent.
  
  ^{What it looks like when we open up the inner tent to sit out the rain, playing cribbage.}
  
  
  
• Facilities – The bathrooms were very middle of the road, a good 6/10 kind of place. They were well maintained and nothing was broken or hosed up, but they weren't super new or super nice. They existed and you could poop in em, but nothing that would make them stand out, either good or bad. The type of bathrooms you'd be happy to see at a freeway rest stop, and would be excited to find at a sporting event. Soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and weekly agendas from the campground hosts were freshly stocked. Other areas of the park shared chemical vault toilets, which we didn't see, but given the state of the main bathrooms I'd imagine they were absolutely fine.
  
  The drinking water was unfortunately heavy. As this had been a running theme, Mrs. Lunchables and I promised ourselves that we would always be filling our water cannister and nalgenes and such at home from now on, as we've been burned by heavy water too many times in the recent past. It wasn't sulfurous, but it was very iron-tangy and metallic. Tasted like a lot of water from the Iron Range back home, to be honest. It made fine coffee and it didn't stink, so it clearly wasn't the worst, but it was the major weak point in the facilities.
  
  
  
• Amenities – This was one of the more rural and rustic of the State Rec Areas, but it still had two cabins, the first of which was on a nice secluded semi-peninsula that boasted its own front deck. The grounds also had a full mini store, selling groceries, snacks, propane tanks, firewood, t shirts, and fresh scooped ice cream. It was really pretty neat to see, given that there wasn't much for stores in the area surrounding the park. The firewood piles even had a little cart for bringing your bundles back to your vehicle, which was a very nice touch. It was clear that the people that worked here (and the host campers, who I will talk about in a minute) cared very much about this park and wanted to highlight every feature, making the stay as pleasant as possible.
  
  The host campers posted events every weekend evening, with Karaoke, stand-up comedy, magic shows, and other live events for the campers and their kids. They have access to an Events Barn, and apparently one half of the host couple thinks himself quite the entertainer, given the aforementioned comedy and magic shows. More power to him, and thank goodness they're offering such a thing for when the weather turns foul. There isn't much for playgrounds or kids' activities, but simple stuff like hand-scooped ice cream and a magic show can certainly change the tone of an entire camping trip for kids. The blackboard sign on the road into the campground titled him as "the Magic Man," but Mrs. Lunchables misread it and assured me he was actually "the Magic Ham." The secret to a happy, successful marriage is knowing when to let someone be firmly, embarrassingly wrong.
  
  There's a bunch of fishing available on the lake, and kayak rentals as well. Minnewanna seemed like the perfect space to do a rental, as it's big enough to spend a few hours paddling around, but not big enough to justify brining your own yaks. A nice sandy beach offers swimming near the kayak launch, and there's separate parking near the beach area. There are also miles of trails, some of which you can hunt on! They were actually decent trails, with a few good changes in elevation and views, and would be something I'd consider re-visiting at a different time of year, since the whole landscape will change depending on leaf cover.
  
  
  
• The Area – Located between both the town(ships) of Metamora and Hadley (duh), the SRA isn't really near anything. You travel a lot of back highways between farmlands, and there's no straight shot to anywhere, which can be either a plus or a minus, depending on what way you wanna look at it. The village of Hadley has two functioning general stores on the main drag, located right next door to each other. There was also a pizza place/bar, should you wanna go out and grab a pie. There was no creepy Children of the Corn vibes out here, which was nice. Just seemed like another small town farming community, a place on the way to another place, somewhere that you'd explain via its proximity to Flint should you bring it up. The park, coincidentally, is only a half hour drive from Flint, so it's accessible enough for the Big City Folk™ to swing by without issue.
  
  
  ^{The Purple F is Flint}
  
  
• Warnings – It's dog friendly and a good place to bring em should you wanna go camping with the pooch. The trails are short enough for good dog walks, and there water for them to play in. There's no alcohol allowed in the day use areas April 1 - Labor Day, kind of emphasizing how family friendly this place is. I don't really see a reason for it here, though. There's no high-speed technical bike tracks, no large lake to drown in, no extreme hikes for drunks to take on and get lost in the woods. Just alcohol free for the summer. There was a fair amount of DNR presence, so keep that in mind should you want a beer with dinner. That said, its a perfectly reasonable place to camp outside of those dates as well. The area only becomes more beautiful as fall progresses, so don't be afraid to visit after Labor Day.
  
  Despite not being by like... anything, there was solid cell service, with enough coverage to stream a movie should you wanna. There's no freeways or airports or military bases or like firing ranges right next door, so nothing to worry about concerning noise. I could see this place being a little bit of a mosquito concern during the summer, as there are both swamps and seasonal wetlands within the park borders, but I can't say with any certainty as we went well outside of mosquito season. Ticks are almost certainly a problem in the springtime, so plan your hikes and bring long socks accordingly. Those are general caveats, of course, with any Michigan camping.
  
  
  
• Who is it best for? – Probably folks with small trailers and young-ish kids. The lake is juuuust big enough to explore without being intimidating, and the trails are, as noted above, long enough to be interesting without being exhausting. Teenagers would be bored out of their skulls if they're not hunters or fisherthem/fishpersons^[1]. Tent campers fit in fine, as do hammock campers, but large mobile-palace RVs would probably just have a hard time maneuvering in their spot. If you are large RV camping, definitely stick to the North campground and sites 170-213. There are no biking trails, no horse trails, no disc golf courses, or other edge-case things, but it's a decent park for getting outside and just having fun with that. The hunting, despite my experience, seems to be pretty good given the number of shell casings we found in the woods. (Side note, please pick up your shell casings when hunting. Thanks!)
  
  This is written with a fair amount of bias, but I think we went at the best time of year. Early fall means you can have a beer at the fire, and the leaves changing across the lake make the trails more intriguing. I can't imagine it's bad during the spring or summer, but why not try to bag a bird or two and make stew for dinner as the crisp autumn air sweetens the smell of leaves? Why not, ya jerk?

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Nov 20, 2022

• 2022 Total - 6 camping, one non (Belle Isle)
  
• Pre-2022 - 4 camping
  
• Total as of Now - 11 total visited, 90 left to go

• Sites – We stayed in Site 99 in the Devoe campground, and god drat was our spot huge. All the sites are positioned fairly far apart, so even if you have immediate neighbors there's a good chunk of land between you. Ours was flat and wide, sitting on packed sandy soil with plenty of tree cover between us and 98, but a big open area between us and 100. Luckily we didn't have neighbors on that side, but it would be a great spot if you've got a decent sized group going. We didn't make it through every campground, but I didn't see a spot that was without good hammock trees, for what it's worth. Jewett Lake literally butts up to the sites in Devoe, so if you're looking for an easy canoe or kayak launch, those would be the prime sites.
  
  We did a cursory drive around the modern campground, and while it was small and less wooded, it seemed nice enough. There's two loops at different elevations sitting smack on the shore of Grousehaven Lake. They were certainly smaller than the Rustics, but I doubt you'd have much to complain about unless you drove an absolutely massive RV.
  
  
  ^{This doesn't even show our whole site, though it does show our cozy little living situation}
  
  
  
• Facilities – Unfortunately for all the folks that read these for bathroom updates, we didn't even go inside the modern facilities. The vault toilet was very well appointed with plenty of TP and sanitizer, and appear to be cleaned relatively frequently. Some of the folks in our loop even left glade bathroom spray in there to make the stay more pleasant.
  
  Water is provided for each loop via a hand pump, which is always loud. Very very loud. Fill your water during business hours to avoid pissing off your neighbors. This is also another regular feature we missed out on, as we brought water from home, so I didn't get a chance to see if it was hard or soft or stinky or anything. Sorry, everyone.
  
  
  
• Amenities – You're probably coming here because you're doing outdoorsy stuff, given the number of lakes and rivers and trails spread across the SRA. There are marked kayak launches right off the roadways, which is a nice touch.
  
  We hiked from marker 9 through to marker 4, doing the loop in the northeast. There were all kinds of things to look at, as the trails followed ridgelines, shorelines, and cut between lakes and over knobs.
  The difficulties marked on the map aren't exactly realistic, though. The area between 8 and 7 was far more technical than the loop off of 4.
  
  
  
  We also saw a big ol common snapping turtle just lumping its way up the path!
  
  
  
  
  ^{Just look at this big bastard.}
  
  It should be noted, though, that the trail markers are just kinda poo poo. Trailheads aren't clear, intersections aren't marked at all sometimes, and even positioning on the trails can be vague at times. Give yourself extra time to explore should you go hiking here (and you should!) because you might get a little lost following the posted markers.
  
  Beyond the lakes and trails and wildlife and scenic views and kayak launches and hunting grounds and cabins, there's not much for amenities. This whole area is really set up to enjoy the outdoors, so there's not much for sports fields or sprawling playgrounds. The modern camp has swingsets and the like, but kids are just gonna have to suck it up and enjoy the great outdoors. We even checked out a few of the cabins, which sit on secluded promontories overlooking private bays on the lakes. Disappointing, right? Just nothing going on out there.
  
  
  
  ^{Just look at this. Nothing fun to do for miles and miles.}
  
  
  
• The Area – Boy, this one isn't really by much at all. Rose City is a few miles away, and is big enough to have a McDonalds, for what it's worth. There's a gas station situated directly at the park's entrance that also serves a private campground behind it. They've got all the basics, including firewood and beer, should you need em. The Park itself doesn't sell firewood, and the main office wasn't manned when we arrived, but that may be season-dependent.
  
  I'll tell you what you should do though, and that is to hop in the car and head down M-33. Keep going until you see the palm trees. Grab dinner and a few drinks at Coco Cabanas. It was honestly an impressive little place, and you'd be a sucker to pass on the experience.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Warnings – I could see mosquitos being a problem during the height of the season, just given the amount of water in the Rec Area. We went at an absolutely gorgeous time of year, so we didn't have to worry about them, but bring your DEET if you're visiting during the summer. The whole setup is dog-friendly as heck, and you can freely drink alcohol wherever your heart fancies. There was even very decent cell service for how remote it was, as we sat at two bars basically the entire weekend, including the hike.
  
  However, if you're not into rustic camping, or if you're not trying to get on the water or go hiking, this might not be the best park for you. It's rough around the edges, what with the hand-pumped wells and the chemical toilets, so folks with delicate dispositions about those things might want to consider it heavily. That said, there's nothing to explicitly warn about, because Rifle River doesn't say it's anything except for rugged, gorgeous nature. Get outside, look at the stars, listen to the quiet of the woods. As Eminem once said, "This'll help you get in touch with your roots, we'll get barefoot, butt naked and run in the woods."
  
  
  
• Who is it best for? – This is a tent camper's paradise, and is especially suited for groups of friends, given the size of the sites. Hunters, fisherthem, kayakers and canoeists will find all the territory perfect for their aims. This would also be a great place to go mountain biking, just for the trails and the travel. It's not set up for technical switchbacks or anything like that, but the hills and the views oughta be enough to justify going for the ride. There are no posted equestrian trails on site, but it might be worth calling the DNR and seeing if you could take your behooved beast out with you anyway. Given the number of lakes and the rivers, though, this is most certainly a place to get on the water, and somewhere you should definitely bring your kayaks and canoes.
  
  The park is open year-round, and given we went during a very beautiful time, that's when I would recommend. Get there before all the leaves are down to see some gorgeous colors across the lakes. Winter-wise, ice fishing would be amazing out here, just due to the options for spots and the different species of fish in each lake (check the SRA map at the beginning of the post to see which ones are where). Since you're going here to get outside, though, I don't think there would be a bad time of year to visit. It's gorgeous country, and probably deserves to be seen across the seasons.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Nov 20, 2022