Grand Rapids Camping

Private Campgrounds

alicew99 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:37:50 +0000

Jellystone is a “branded” campground on US 31 out near Grand Haven. It’s meant to be very kid friendly, with activities and events planned specifically to keep the kids engaged and occupied while you’re there. They have both full and partial hookup sites. Some are in wooded lots and some are out in the open.

They have two pools, one full size and one shallow kiddie pool. The kiddie pool is great for playing in with the kids. It is a generally clean park that is oriented towards kids and family-oriented activities.

Iona State Recreation Area

alicew99 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:37:17 +0000

Ionia State park is not on Lake Michigan, but it does have all the water activities you’ll ever need. Session Lake has swimming and fishing, and is quite a hot spot on warm days since it’s so much closer than lake Michigan. The recreation area has all kinds of campsites, some with electric, some with water, and some with full hookups. The sites are secluded, and there are cabins available for rent as well.

This park has one of the few horse campgrounds in the state, and is very popular with the horse riding crowd. Taking the kids for a walk through the back side of the park where all the horses are tied up with their trailers and owners is great fun.

Tunnel Park

alicew99 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:36:49 +0000

Tunnel Park is in Holland, and you can actually walk on the beach from Holland State Park down to Tunnel Park if you’re feeling like a little exercise. Tunnel Park is a country park run by the county of Ottawa. It’s called Tunnel park because you have to walk through a man made tunnel to get from the parking lot side to the beach side. The dunes come that far up.

There’s lots to like about Tunnel Park, although it can get a little busy on weekends. There are a lot of picnic tables on the parking lot side, along with bathrooms and showers for getting the sand cleaned off after some time on the beach.

Grand Haven State Park

alicew99 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:36:21 +0000

Grand Haven State park is very similar to Holland in both proximity to the beach, amenities, and camping. If anything, I would say that the Grand Haven State Park camp sites are closer to the water than the sites in Holland. There are no “wooded” lots in Grand Haven, and the quarters are tight. But it’s a pretty decent trade-off for being right on the water like it is.

The beach itself is incredible, with a pavilion and volleyball nets. There is not a pier directly on the beach, but a short walk to the north will take you to the channel, the pier, and the light house. It’s quite a sight at night as the entire thing is lit up with strings of lights all year long.

Holland State Park and Lake Macatawa

alicew99 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:35:57 +0000

Holland State park is both a beach and a state campground. It has volleyball nets, stationary grills, picnic tables, benches, a pavilion with covered seating and an ice cream shop, and more sand than you can possibly imagine until you actually see it. There is also a pier that goes out into the lake and ends with a small light house style beacon to guide boats into the channel that leads to Lake Macatawa.

There is camping as well, just off the beach in a paved area that is next to the pavilion. If you want to spend a week at the beach, you won’t get any closer than this – that much I guarantee you.