Michigan's Van Riper State Park Gets Ready For Campers

Thousands of people will make their way camping in Upper Michigan this season, television station WLUC reported.

"People like to camp,” said Doug Barry, park supervisor at Van Riper State Park in Champion. “You're camping in hundred year old white pine trees so you're in a mature forest and we have a really nice beach on an inland lake so it's not as cold as Lake Superior when you want to go swimming."

Before campsites can be filled with RV's and tents it takes a lot of work to get ready for campers at Van Riper State Park.

"You want to inspect everything,” said Barry. “Make sure the picnic tables fared well, the fire rings, the tree branches, and then we need to make sure everything is cleaned and that the toilet building is ready to go. It takes a lot of work to get those things going."

They pushed back their original opening because there’s still snow on the campground, but will open officially on Tuesday (May 5). They have been clearing leaves, getting rid of potentially hazardous trees and cleaning up their 1,200 acres for about a month to get ready for guests.

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