Article Content
Written by the Getaway Couple Rae & Jason
We’re going to let you in on a secret. Michigan is one of the best states to RV in! Because of its location in the United States, you actually have to make an effort to travel there, which is why we think not a lot of RVers know about it. We happened to travel to Michigan in the spring of 2019 and are so glad we did. We had so much fun, we’re planning to go again this summer for a longer period of time. So, what makes this state so special? Let us fill you in!
Craft Breweries
I don’t know about you, but we love our craft beer. Michigan has over 120 brewing establishments! We were able to explore many breweries while in Michigan and all were unique and served delicious beer. We’ve had some bad craft beer but Michigan breweries did not disappoint. We even participated in something called the “Ale Trail” in Traverse City. The goal is to visit the breweries listed on the Trail Card and receive a stamp at each one. Once you have a stamp from every brewery, you receive a free silipint! A silipint is a silicone pint glass. I know this sounds silly but these are our favorite glasses in our RV now!
Bike Friendly
Michigan is a very bike-friendly state. Almost every town we visited had a paved bike trail for us to take advantage of. Additionally, most of them were right off the campgrounds so we didn’t have to go far to find adventure. We used our RAD electric bikes almost every day while in Michigan. The scenery is just too beautiful to pass up! Exploring a town by bike allows you to slow down and take in the scenery. We loved biking around Michigan because it allowed us to stop at the small local shops, restaurants, or anywhere that looked appealing. We saw things in Michigan by bike we most likely would have never found by truck.
Gorgeous Campgrounds
The campgrounds in Michigan are simply gorgeous. We typically don’t go out of our way to find epic views or coveted sites because they’re typically expensive or booked way in advance, but almost everywhere we stayed in Michigan came with stunning views. It was such a nice surprise to pull into campground after campground to find our site to be large, easy to access, and visually appealing!
Awesome State Parks and Reservation System
While we did stay in private campgrounds in Michigan, we tried to take advantage of their State Park Campgrounds as much as possible. Our favorite State Park Campgrounds was Straits State Park. The view from site A1 is of the Mackinac Bridge and has private access to Lake Huron! We can’t wait to return to this site someday soon.
The reservation system the state uses is by far the easiest we’ve ever encountered. You can search the entire state or specific region and easily see available sites that fit your RV. Once you put in your dates, the system shows you what sites are available in what campgrounds so you don’t have to waste your time checking each place individually. Our favorite feature is that most of the campgrounds have pictures online of each site! This way you really know what you’re booking and what your site looks like ahead of time. Once you make an online profile, booking site after site is a breeze. We wish every state would use a system like Michigan.
Friendly Locals
We don’t typically notice if locals are friendly or not, but Michiganders made quite an impression on us. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful. While riding our e-bikes one day, we stopped and contemplated where to go next. We must have looked lost because a local came up to us and asked if we needed help. He ended up recommending a great brewery down the street and a restaurant to eat after!
The Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula is the northern piece of land above Michigan and it is a world of its own. We spent three weeks in the UP alone and still didn’t see everything there is to see. The part of Michigan is less populated and offers many natural sites to see. While in the UP we visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, and the lighthouse at Whitefish Point. While Whitefish Point is a beautiful location in the spring, it is home to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and the inspiration of the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. The Upper Peninsula has it all: history, scenery, and nature.
While we could go on and on about Michigan, we’ll end it here. The points listed above are just a handful of the reasons you should add Michigan to your RVing bucket list. We highly recommend visiting in the spring or summer to catch the best weather, festivals, and people. Maybe we’ll see you there!
