Fayette Historic State Park Campground
Fayette Historic State Park is one of Michigan’s most unique state parks, and the campground near the historic townsite is worth staying at if you’re in the area. Though it’s a small campground, there’s more to see and do here than visit the townsite, though that is a perk of staying here.
The campground has 61 campsites, most of which are close to one another, but there are many trees here, too. The campground backs up to Sand Bay and Big Bay De Noc, offering beautiful sunset views of the water from the rocky beach and through the trees from the campsites. The sites are broken up into three loops, and there’s one main bathroom facility with showers for all three. There are also other pit toilets throughout the campground.
There’s a boat ramp close to the campground, but you have to go out and around to get there, which is frustrating for those looking to camp with their boat. That said, you can walk there easily, which is nice if you enjoy hiking when camping. A trail goes to the historic townsite of Fayette, which is one of the perks of staying here. Though the townsite closes at night, it’s well worth a quick walk over to see the ghost town in the eerie light from the moon.
When we visited Fayette, there were plenty of bugs just hatching. Though they weren’t the human-biting kind, they got my dog, Scrappy, pretty good. They didn’t bother him, but he had a ton of red marks on his belly the morning after camping here.
There isn’t a ton to do on the Garden Peninsula; however, there are a few parks other than the Fayette Townsite that are worth checking out. Less than 10 miles south sits Sac Bay County Park, and on your way to or from Fayette, you should pull into Ozzie Hazen Township Park, both of which back right up to the water.
While staying at Fayette Historic State Park Campground, you’ve got to check out the townsite, watch the sunset from the beach, and hike around the trails in the park. The rest is up to you!
