7 Michigan Campgrounds With Phenomenal On-Site Rock Hunting
Michigan is known for many things, two of our favorites being the plethora of campgrounds that dot the landscape and an abundance of rock hunting beaches. No matter where you are in our great state, odds are, you aren’t far from either of these things.
In our opinion, there isn’t much better than waking up, putting your water shoes or boots on, and taking a short walk to hunt for rocks. When you camp in the same park where you rockhound, you can hit the ground running and arrive before those just coming in for the day, furthering your chances of finding a special stone. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at our favorite campgrounds in Michigan that offer on-site rock hunting!
Muskallonge Lake State Park
Between the crashing waves of Lake Superior and the fish-laden waters of Muskallonge Lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula sits a state park that offers the best of two worlds. Muskallonge Lake State Park is nestled on the shoreline of Muskallonge Lake and offers over 150 sites, most of which have electrical hookups. The lake is over 700 acres and is a popular place for fishing year-round.
Our favorite part of the park is the day-use area across H-58 from the campground. After walking the short trail out to the lakeshore, you’re greeted with access to miles of rocky Lake Superior shoreline. We were able to find a few small agates, large chunks of unakite, and other pretty stones while hunting on our first trip here.
The campground gets pretty busy in the summer months, making the area close to the end of the trail to Lake Superior quite crowded. If you walk either way down the beach, you’ll be able to find your own little section of shoreline to pick through the plentiful piles of rock.
Whether you’re just getting into rock hunting or a seasoned veteran, you’ll be able to find peace on the remote shores of Lake Superior while camping at Muskallonge Lake State Park.
Leelanau State Park
There’s a state park located on the northern tip of the Leelanau Peninsula with stunning sunrise and sunset views, the constant sound of waves hitting the shoreline, an operational 1858 lighthouse, and plenty of beach for rock hunting. Leelanau State Park has over 50 rustic campsites and is one of the most quaint campgrounds we’ stayed at to date.
The state park is located where the Grand Traverse Bay meets Lake Michigan, an area that is notorious for hard-hitting storms. The shoreline on most of the western side of the Leelanau Peninsula is rocky and known for its vast amount of Petoskey stones, jasper, and unakite. A fair amount of sites at Leelanau State Park back up to the water, giving you your own little slice of rock hunting heaven.
If you pick over everything on your little slice of land, head up and down the beach or wait for a storm to bring in another batch of beach gravel to the surface to pick through. There are also a ton of other rock hunting beaches in the area, so be sure to check out our Rock Hunting Guide for more locations to see on the Leelanau and all across our beautiful state.
P. H. Hoeft State Park
Paul H. Hoeft was a lumberman and businessman who owned vast tracks of land in and around the Rogers City area. After the lumbering industry had died down, he offered to donate a chunk of his land to the state for a state park to be created. In 1921, P. H. Hoeft State Park opened, and it has been a popular place to hike, camp, and rock hunt ever since.
The campground at Hoeft State Park has over 120 sites, most of which have electrical hook-up. In addition to a playground and beach volleyball, one of the most popular things to do at Hoeft is to scan the few miles of beachfront for fossils, pudding stones, and other Michigan rocks.
Upon both of our visits to Hoeft, we were the only ones scanning the beach. We have heard it can get a little more crowded during the peak summer weeks, but we enjoyed swimming, finding a handful of stones to take home, and eating lunch here. As far as activities go, P. H. Hoeft State Park has you covered!
Mouth of the Two Hearted River
If you like remote, this next one is about as remote as remote can get. The Two Hearted River has four main branches that start in Luce County and come together to dump into Lake Superior. Considered by many, Hemingway included, one of the prettiest streams to fish in the state, many know about it for another reason; rock hunting.
The Mouth of the Two Hearted River State Forest Campground has 36 sites for rustic camping that aren’t reservable online or by phone. You have to simply show up and hope that there’s availability (given how far off the beaten track the campground is, this usually isn’t a problem). Cross the suspension bridge from the campground to access Lake Superior, and you’re in for a real treat.
The Two Hearted river meanders its way, almost parallel, to Lake Superior. This creates a peninsula of rocks that are constantly refreshed by the harsh waves of gichi-gami. You may find quartz, chert, unakite, and even an elusive agate or two while hunting in and around the mouth of the Two Hearted. Even if you leave empty-handed, the journey to get there and the payoff when you arrive will be more than worth your time.
If you were wondering, Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is named after the river. I’ve heard that the beer is great, but I can’t imagine it compares to the beauty and wonder of wandering down the shore of Lake Superior.
Lakeport State Park
Bringing things back down further south, 376 miles south as the car drives, to be exact, we have Lakeport State Park. Located less than 20 minutes from Port Huron, Lakeport is the most accessible campground and rock hunting beach on this list for folks who hail from metro Detroit. Some may scoff at Lakeport for how far south it is, but just because it’s close by doesn’t mean the rocks found here aren’t the real deal.
The campground at Lakeport State Park has 250 sites, multiple playgrounds, a camp store, and, most importantly, access to Lake Huron. In our many visits to Lakeport, we’ve taken home Petoskey stones, different varieties of coral fossils, granite, and even the occasional puddingstone.
Although there is beach access throughout the park, most notably at the campground and day-use area, our favorite hunting spot is only accessible if you’re willing to take a short hike. There’s a path through the woods accessible from the main road to the campground, or you can hike south down the beach from the campground. You’ll find fewer people here and more opportunities to find the perfect stone to take home.
Lakeport State Park is proof that you don’t need to go to the ends of the earth to rock hunt and that every corner of Michigan has something to offer, so long as you just look!
Agate Beach at Stanton Park Campground
Although this next spot might not be as remote as the Mouth of the Two Hearted River, it sure can feel like it while you’re there. There are a handful of beaches dubbed Agate Beach in the Upper Peninsula (our favorite one is in Grand Marais), and they were all given that name for a reason. If you look hard and long enough, you’ll find an agate.
Agate Beach is in Stanton Park, which Stanton Township runs. There isn’t a website for the campground, or any information at all at the time of writing, so reservations have to be made on sight. It isn’t a huge campground, but we’ve been told that it doesn’t often fill up given its location.
Even with stunning views of Lake Superior, a playground, and access to the Little Elm River, the park’s crown jewel is the endless Lake Superior beachfront that is chock-full of rocks. Although we didn’t get lucky and find any agates, others on the beach had, and we went home with some beautiful stones of other varieties.
If you’re looking to get away without much to bother you, Agate Beach is the place for you!
Onaway State Park
Some of you might be confused about this inclusion, and I don’t blame you. As beautiful as Onaway State Park is, it’s located twenty-some miles from Lake Huron. Every place on this list has been located on the shores of a Great Lake, but what Onaway State Park lacks in Great Lake Beachfront, it makes up for in fossils.
Onaway State Park was dedicated in 1921 and today has just under 100 modern sites. The park sits on the southern shores of Black Lake, a 10,000+ acre lake that flows into the Black River. At one time, there was an Onaway Stone Quarry on the south side of the lake, which may explain why there are so many fossils here, but our research has not confirmed that to be the reason. Although the water is accessible to all campers, 14 sites touch the lake.
When we first arrived at Black Lake, we were in awe of the number of favosites we found in the shallow waters near the shoreline. Looking out into the water on a clear day was like looking down the stairs on Christmas morning, but without the wrapping paper. We found so many fossils that we had to decide which ones to keep and which ones to toss back.
Onaway State Park is a quaint little park that is often overlooked by rockhounds, but shouldn’t be, as our multiple trips have proven. Be sure to leave a few rocks for the next hunter, though!
For more reading, check out our Rock Hunting Guide!
Also, check out the Rockhounding & Agate Hunting section on our Books For Your Next Trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula list for guides to help you identify Michigan rocks.
