Michigan DNR to reopen a handful of State Forest campgrounds

From michigan.org

Howard Meyerson of the Grand Rapids Press, via MLive.com, recently announced that at least four Michigan State Forest campgrounds will reopen this summer.

That's outstanding news!

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which operates the state forest campgrounds, closed 12 of the rustic facilities in 2009 due to budget constraints.

They also had slated to close 23 others a few years ago, but held off. (I wrote extensively about it in this blog.)

The fact that at least four will reopen is a sign of not only an improving economy, but also the DNR is listening to feedback.

“We’ve had requests from the public to open them,” Anna Sylvester, the DNR’s northern Michigan field operations section chief for Parks and Recreation division, told Meyerson for his article. “They (the four) don’t bring in a lot of money, but they also don’t require a lot of money to run them. We have a population who likes to use them.”

According to Meyerson, the four campgrounds that are slated to reopen include: Muskrat Lake in Oscoda County, Twin Lakes in Cheboygan County, Lake Marjory in Otsego County and Thunder Bay River in Alpena County.

We have never camped at a state forest campground. We might not ever, but there's plenty of people who do use them. Perhaps when we upgrade to a better RV, one more capable of boondocking, we might consider it.

Until then, having those options is not only good for RVers and tent campers, it's also good for the tourism industry in Michigan.

Congratulations Michigan DNR on the terrific news!