Ludington State Park; maybe the best State Park in Michigan

Ludington is one of the best - if not the best state park in Michigan. It has one of the largest campgrounds, and perhaps one of the best attractions is the many hiking trails that you can enjoy.
The park is in a dunes area, on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake.
EDITORIAL CORRECTION: At around 3:40, I stated Au Sable river. It is actually the Big Sable river.
www.rv-project.com

[@animaloverload7465]

I absolutely loved camping at Ludington. Every year for years my family would go.10:10 should be a poster.

[@alysah1308]

Can I just say, I'm proud to live in Michigan. I love this state and all the state parks. Absolutely beautiful.

[@edwardbusch3689]

I feel the same way. I love my state.

[@keithburchart6419]

I live about 10 minutes from this State Park. I never get tired of it, and appreciate all it has to offer. There is a trail next to Hamlin Lake called the 7 islands trail. About as awesome and diverse scenery you can imagine. So peaceful and beautiful. One thing you didn't mention is that the town of Ludington is only about 7-8 miles from the park, and you just take M116 from the park to town. In the Summer there is a shuttle bus that will bring you to town and back.

[@RVProject]

Shuttle Bus - good to know about that service. Makes it a lot easier.

[@csnide6702]

ssssshhh.... Keith ... we want it all to ourselves.... Say Hey to brother Brian.

[@atomicjedi6230]

Me, my family, my cousins, and my grandparents all come camping here every year together and seeing Ludington while I’m in the dead of winter really makes me want to go out there again.

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@christinaroot5910]

Watching videos like this remind me why I am so lucky to live in Ludington! We definitely take it for granted sometimes!

[@garrett4971]

Grew up about and hour and a half east of Ludington. Went hiking there just a few years ago with a buddy of mine. I'd would argue to say it's the best in the state as well. I've taken my motorcycle all over the state and have seen many state parks. Love your videos, keep up the good work 👍

[@RVProject]

I have been to most state parks in the state - although it's been a few years since visiting some. I also like Tawas Point, but I still think Ludington is a bit nicer.

[@Rvdaydream]

Spectacular Park.. Thanks again for the peak into Michigan's parks.

[@thomasswihart85]

I give you the highest rating in this video.Very informative. I've been in this park once (drive through) I really liked it. And I'm taking a vacation here this year.. Again thank you :-)

[@ShannonTaylor-um3dr]

Probably the best State park I’ve visited in this beautiful State. I’ve been camping Michigan State parks for thirty plus years ❤️ love it here

[@RVProject]

Thanks for sharing!

[@catman8670]

Love this park 1980

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@TheDUNLOP6]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@JohnsDIYPlayground]

This park is one of Michigan's best for camping. Location is incredible. Inland lake, lazy river, Lake Michigan. Just awesome!

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@kevingautier107]

Really great. Been there dozens of times over the last 40 years. I live in LaPorte, IN which used to be 4 hours away but now, thanks to the road improvements, it's about 3. Can't say enough about the trail system, the beaches, the river. We really like the town of Ludington, as well.

[@764marion]

Very nice, We have been to the sand dunes, and took ones of those sand cars around there, but never camped up here, but its gonna be on my bucket list, thanks for sharing!

[@walkmichigan2257]

Great video. Very nice park with a ton of hiking trails. Very difficult place to get a reservation, but plan ahead and you'll be fine. You can reserve 6 months ahead. We go in the "off-season" and never have a problem.

[@madeinmichigan6773]

Are there any places to dry camp there for free? I do not require power since my RV is self sufficient.

[@cxndymoon5498]

on July 15 2017 im going to Lakeview campground in Ludington mi. and i cant wait!

[@oylinpic]

Pentwater?

[@twdenman1]

We love Ludington State Park.

[@RVProject]

Great place.

[@1978rga]

I haven't been here since I was a kid! I'll have a reserve a spot with my family next summer. We mostly stay at campgrounds in the THUMB area- Lakeport, Port Crescent, & Sleeper State Park. Thanks for a great video!

[@wealthyprosperous628]

Beautiful even in a non-perfect day!!! MICHIGAN IS THE STATE TO BE IN!

[@RVProject]

It is a nice place.

[@aguyandhiscomputer]

You promised and you delivered. Wish I didn't live 4 hours away. Love all the information you have in your videos.

[@RVProject]

+aguyandhiscomputer There are so many great things about Ludington, I had a hard time fitting it into a 13 minute video.

[@RVProject]

+aguyandhiscomputer We're not much closer... 3 hours from Ludington.

[@interstateruler]

Very pretty state park and good video

[@judystreich7333]

I believe it is the Big Sable River, the AuSable flows to the east side of the state to Lake Huron

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@csnide6702]

correct

[@davidwadsworth8982]

600 sites is huge and it fills up fast?must be great.Tubing, place is freaking great.

[@joe3312s]

Well done

[@coreylahey1711]

thanks for the vid .. cool place

[@tentsrus6945]

I could be wrong, but I do not think it is the AuSable River, but the Sable River. The AuSable is of course sourced near Grayling and flows east to Lake Huron. GREAT review however, well done and thank you!j

[@RVProject]

Yes, I incorrectly stated "Au Sable River" in the video. I have posted a correction in the comments section. The river is actually the "Big Sable" river.

[@jhaywilliamson1978]

I'm more of a huge fan of Warren Dunes State Park, Petoskey State Park, and Muskegon State Park, but I do think that Ludington State Park is beautiful as well. My family and I travel to a quite a few state parks in Michigan every summer and I've stayed at Ludington State Park a quite a few times. My family and I are coming there around the last weekend of July. :-)

[@RVProject]

I like the beach at Warren Dunes, but the campground is kind of small and hard to get some RVs into. Muskegon, at least the channel campground is also nice, and has a protected beach inside the inner breakwater. If you like boats, it is a good place to watch them go by. All of the Lake Michigan beach parks are nice, and each one is a bit different so they have a charm of their own.

[@factoryrat4996]

I do like this video since it is almost in my backyard. However, one glaring INACCURACY, the Au Sable is on the other side of the state. The Big Sable River is a 52-mile-long (84 km)[2] river in Michigan in the United States. It originates in Lake County in the chain of lakes known as Sauble Lakes and flows across Lake and Mason counties. It is dammed to form Hamlin Lake, and below the dam continues through Ludington State Park to empty into Lake Michigan. It is not navigable for the most part, but the section between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan is popular for tubing. It is considered an excellent river for fishing. It appears on maps as both "Big Sable" and "Big Sauble". The Au Sable River in Michigan, United States runs approximately 138 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the towns of Grayling and Mio, and enters Lake Huron at Oscoda.

[@RVProject]

You are correct. My mistake.

[@MiBones]

This is a very good campground for people, who have disabilities. The boardwalk has handicap access to the river, for people to be able to fish. There are handicapped restrooms. And enough paved trails to drive your scooter on. I have found that even though the campsites are close together, it is relatively quiet, even with kids. And clean restrooms. Some people would say, "NO. No. NO. You do not want to come here." They want it to keep it to themselves.

[@RVProject]

It is a nice park for sure.

[@TheUnclered2]

We camped on the North end of Hamlin Lake a few years back. We visited the State Park, and although there is lots to do, we found the campsites very small and close together. People were packed in like sardines and that's not what I look for in a campground. I'm sure it's nice for campers with kids but I like a little more quiet when camping. To each his own, right? This is a very well done video of the area, thanks.

[@purdyquibb]

We had exactly the same thought. It was just ok. Lots of awesome things to do but way to packed for us.

[@jojobar5877]

Hike into the Nordhouse dunes North of the park if you want wilderness camping alone. The terrain is just like this without all the people

[@csnide6702]

@@purdyquibb too*

[@motorcitymanman7711]

Michigan is nice........7 months out of the year......brutally cold the rest, I grew up there. Higgins Lake is my fav Michigan spot. National Geographic named it the "6th Most Beautiful Lake in the World" Spring fed clear water.

[@RVProject]

The winters are the price you pay for living in paradise, I guess.

[@motorcitymanman7711]

@@RVProject Lol....I guess paradise is a frame of mind.

[@synaptik111]

Nice park and campgrounds -- How's the fishing?

[@RVProject]

Pretty good on Hamlin Lake. Not so much on Lake Michigan unless you have a boat large enough to access the best spots.

[@univac7677]

The State of Michigan DNR ‘Passport’ Sticker program has been very successful. Adding the state parks registration sticker option to your license plate renewal has worked great. That influx of funds has paid dividends for the state parks system. One category where we have moved up or ahead of other states.

[@RVProject]

As well, campground fees are supposed to be put back into the park system. But the park system also includes marinas which are well funded and share the revenue. But the marinas are also funded by boat gas tax. Most states refund gas taxes used to buy boat gas, but Michigan puts that money into the parks system. Not sure what the investment ratio the campground vs. marinas is vs. funds from those sources, but it does seem campgrounds are starting to become a bit more modernized.

[@leegandysdroid]

Thanks for the video. I'm going to be heading up to Michigan this summer from South Carolina, fulfilling a bucket list item of mine (to visit the Great Lakes) :) We have a teardrop camper and will be staying at state parks on our journey. Are there any trails in the area for mountain bikes?

[@RVProject]

Many of the trails in Ludington can be accessed by bicycle. As well, there is a "Rails-to-Trails" program in Michigan to convert old railroad right-of-way into bicycle trails. Some trails are over 100mi long. www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/2013/november/20/what-are-michigans-top-10-trails-we-ask-those-in-the-know/

[@RVProject]

If you are looking for organized bicycling adventures in Michigan, here is a source: www.bikingbis.com/across-state-bicycle-tours-michigan-minnesota-mississippi/

[@tobyradenbaugh8965]

Be sure to put Sleeping Bear Dunes on the list - 80 miles up the coast

[@ksingleton101]

Pick up a Fly Rod and Reel for Steelhead and Salmon Fishing, some of the best East of the Mississippi. There are also Bear in the area so mind your dog/s.

[@RVProject]

Reminds me of the time my brother camped there. It was many years ago, but his dog tangled with a Porcupine... and you can imagine how that turned out. Good thing there was a Veterinarian in Ludington.

[@jeffr8209]

Correction...it’s the Big Sable River. The Au Sable is on the east side and runs into Lake Huron.

[@RVProject]

I did note that in the description. Unfortunately, I cannot edit the video without taking it down. Thank you for your support.

[@NewBeginningswithBudhiandCyndi]

that is a very nice park, what is the cost of a site.

[@RVProject]

$31 per night.

[@johnjesus971]

That big dune on the skyline trail that you could run down, is nicknamed suicide hill. It's a heck of a sledding hill in the winter. Just be careful on a tube, it's fast.

[@csnide6702]

with a big jump at bottom !

[@johnjesus971]

@@csnide6702 Yeah that jump put me in a neck brace one year. Hit it on the tube, got air born, and landed my head, feet hit ground in front of face and i blacked out. Super painful, but a fun hill if you're careful haha

[@csnide6702]

@@johnjesus971 it is a huge jump.... i remember doing as a kid a dozen times in a day .... as an adult that feels older every day - it just looks like madness..... 😁

[@LTBudd]

The name of the river is the Sable River, or Big Sable River. Sauble (Saw-bull) is an acceptable pronunciation. It's not say-bull like the animal, the sable. The name means sandy in French. The Au Sable River is on the east side of the state up near Saginaw Bay.

[@RVProject]

Thank you for your support of the channel.

[@robertpawelek]

"It's lookin' pretty ugly today" - most scenic footage of the entire video...

[@RVProject]

Its ruggedly beautiful for sure.

[@kevingautier107]

FYI: It's the Big Sable River and not "Au Sable" as you referred to it. That's somewhere else in MI.

[@jeffarthur322]

Kevin Gautier thanks was gonna say that

[@kevingautier107]

Still a good video of one of my fav places on Earth

[@ksingleton101]

The Au Sable River in Michigan, United States runs approximately 138 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the towns of Grayling and Mio, and enters Lake Huron at Au Sable. Both Rivers are excellent Trout, Steelhead and Salmon Fisheries. The Pere Marquette River is the only one that isn't dammed which makes it a much better River to fish Steelhead and Salmon in my book. I purchased an acre of land in Baldwin, Michigan just 30 miles East of Ludington for $350 a few years ago. I hope to build on it some day.

[@sunnyshine4621]

Kevin Gautier Ausable is in Glennie, Mi area

[@kentcq]

Just going to comment on that. Au Sable flows into Huron.

[@noahbigg8630]

That's the best park in Michigan🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@RVProject]

I think so too.

[@mattsmith9270]

It pretty much fills up instantly 6 months to the day. If you get a spot after that you are lucky someone canceled and you were on the reservation site to see first. Since the state went to internet-based reservations it has been very very hard to get a spot in the campgrounds near Lake michigan.

[@RVProject]

Yes, it is hard to get a spot. I think they should start a lottery for some of the campsites rather than the system they currently use.

[@csnide6702]

you want to be in the last campground anyway- Beechwood--- that's the best one.

[@andrewjackson9853]

It's beautiful for sure. . . Just never been into "getting away" and camping next to 2,000 other people that are "getting away."

[@ericburton5163]

I like the community / Midwestern feel of the state park campgrounds. But if you like are more individual experience in the area you should camp at Huron-Manistee National Forest. The land connects to Ludington State Park (trails really don't) but it is much more similar to camping out West in terms of having more space per person (is obviously more rustic just like similar campgrounds out West are.)

[@andrewjackson9853]

@@ericburton5163 Thanks, I'll check it out for sure. Spent the last 35 years in N. Idaho/W. Montana and I just cant get into the Mid-West style of camping. . . Too many people and too much noise. We head to the U.P. where we seem to fit in better there too.. .

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@csnide6702]

at 1320 - there are NO hatches in the walk to top of lighthouse.

[@AVisceralLife]

It's a great park, but not the best in Michigan - in my opinion. Tahquamenon, Porcupine Mountains, and many other awesome parks gives Ludington some stiff competition for best state park title. I do love the skyline trail at Ludington State Park, the view from the top of the lighthouse and I have had a great time camping in Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area which borders the park to the north.

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@dennisdaley2153]

ive been ther

[@RVProject]

I like the place too. But it is hard to get in sometimes.

[@spacenut58]

Nice park but not the best one. Look at Tawas, Wilderness and Lower Tahquamenon for example.

[@csnide6702]

far & AWAY the best one is Ludington.... ask any State Park employee which one gets most visitors every year.... it's not even close.

[@lucasmichaels8558]

I am from Ludington but have to admit there are Michigan parks I like better especially in the UP....good as Ludington is.

[@talusranch990]

Flatlander park

[@marthabixler1606]

I the West coast of Michigan is over rated try some of the parks on the inland lakes like Higgins lake or the rifle river state park

[@RVProject]

As a Michigan resident, I have been to almost all of the parks within the last 5yrs.

[@Dark_Asteroid]

Is not maybe. Good vid.

[@RVProject]

Thank you for supporting the channel.

[@billnotice9957]

Can you swim under red flag? Love swimming in waves.

[@RVProject]

I am not sure if you would be arrested or not... likely not, since people go out on the piers all the time in bad weather and drown. However, if you are not familiar with the lake, you can expect a severe undertow, and is quite dangerous.

[@csnide6702]

not a problem.... just be careful - don't go out over your head.

[@csnide6702]

Maybe...? It is FAR and AWAY the best in MI

[@markviereck4547]

This needs s the type of place I would never camp. I like the wilderness. No,people crowds, etc.. I go camping to get away from this stuff

[@oylinpic]

dam raccoons at Beechwood

[@RVProject]

Yea they like to raid the 'fridge...